Can Professional Athletes File Workman’s Comp Claims?

“Can professional athletes file workman’s comp claims?” Watching hard hitting football games made the Newton Falls Public Library staff wonder about the answer to this question as well.

 Online searching of the terms “professional athletes workman’s comp claims” brought up a wide assortment of websites and articles.  The April 6, 2010 New York Times article, Teams Dispute Workers’ Comp Rights by Alan Schwarz discusses this issue, the legal cases, and their implications. According to the article, “California provides the only worker’s compensation system that allows retired pro athletes to file claims for long-term injuries sustained on playing fields years and even decades before. . .many of them by satisfying California’s unique requirement that they played at least one game within the state borders.” At present, teams are trying to have their cases taken from California and moved to their own states.

The Ohio Revised Code 4123.54 also addresses this issue: K2b) "The professional sports league at all times maintains workers’ compensation insurance that provides coverage for the players and coaches of the sports league.”