Another NFL season is upon us. Hopefully the Bears can build off last season’s success and actually make the Super Bowl for the first time in two decades. The reality though as that they and most teams are one injury away from a busted season. If Caleb gets hurt, it’s over. Look what happened to KC when Mahomes tore his ACL.

Football is a violent game. These guys get paid incredibly well and now with NIL, many are coming into the league already as millionaires. That does not change the fact that they are putting their bodies and health on the lines every day, even in practice.

This has been shown by a recent study that showed at least 25% of players studied who died in between 2016 and 2021 had CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This follows previous studies that showed CTE between 93-97%.

CTE is a brain injury that for now can only be diagnosed after death. It is believed to occur due to repeated hits to the head as when as the snapping of the neck that rattles the brain around. While it can not be diagnosed while alive, it is related to early onset dementia, sleep apnea, depression and chronic pain.

Beyond that, it is not uncommon to see a former NFL player need to retire due to their body not functioning as well as before or needed surgeries in the future. That could be a knee replacement, back surgery, shoulder surgery or something else.

This is not too dissimilar from someone who works construction for 40 years and sees their body just break down to the point that they can not do the work anymore.

Because of the toll football can take on your body, even if you have made a lot of money playing it, I recommend that almost every NFL player (not the kickers usually) file for workers’ compensation benefits when they are retiring.

Under Illinois law, if you played for the Bears or your last game or injury was in Chicago, you can file an Illinois workers’ compensation claim. We have the best benefits in the country. Even if symptoms of CTE have not shown up yet, it’s probable they will in the future.

As a result you’d have to file a case within three years of your retirement date. But in cases like undiagnosed CTE, it’s possible that the true nature of your injuries will not develop for many years.

By filing a work comp case, you can either keep it open if needed or go to Arbitration and present testimony as to the violence of your job and an expert to testify that you have a likelihood to develop CTE in the future. You could also present testimony about how your knees, back, shoulder, etc feel and get compensation for that. And by going to arbitration, you give yourself the chance to have 100% of your medical bills in the future paid for instead of having to hope the NFL or government will take care of you.

When you go to arbitration at the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, your medical rights for that injury stay open for life. So if problems develop down the road, those bills will be covered.

It is the smartest thing that an NFL player can do and it something that workers in heavy duty jobs like construction, plumbing, iron workers, mechanics, carpenters and others should consider as well when they retire and their body is a mess. Even if you don’t need that knee replacement now, you might down the road.

This is not the type of advice you will often hear, but it is smart to at least discuss. If you want to do that, call us for a free consultation any time at 312-346-5578. Go Bears!