Workers’ Comp on the Gridiron
Video Transcript:
Cindy Speaker: Our topic today is workers’ compensation for professional athletes and my guest is South Carolina attorney George Sink of George Sink Injury Lawyers. And George, thank you for being with me today.
George Sink: Well thanks for having me, Cindy.
Cindy Speaker: Well, George, let me ask you something. Are you a sports fan?
George Sink: I love sports, not only watching them and following them, but I love playing them, too. Every morning I bicycle. I mean, there are just various things that sports are big part of my life.
Cindy Speaker: That’s awesome. Well, I’m going to make you very jealous. As you know I’m in Philadelphia, and I just heard that we are going to have the super bowl in our neck of the woods. It was big news around here yesterday. It’s going to be in Jersey.
George Sink: In 2014 and bring your ear mask(ph) because it’s outdoors.
Cindy Speaker: Okay. Well, George, today our topic as you know is workers’ compensation for professional athletes. And this is something that really hasn’t crossed my mind but I’ll bet it comes up fairly often.
George Sink: Well, the funny thing is that most jobs are just jobs, but a professional athlete is in a very dangerous profession. A little slip or a fall or a misstep can result in disability which could ruin a career. So it’s a very dangerous thing, it comes up and we have handled a number of these cases.
Cindy Speaker: So what you’re saying then is that if a professional athlete is injured, they’re actually covered under workers’ compensation laws?
George Sink: Yes and no. Some are, some aren’t. Members of teams likely are, like a football or a baseball team member, but jockeys, boxers, are often considered independent contractors and are not. So it then really depends on the situation on the team and you have to check into that.
Cindy Speaker: And in light of the apparent complexity of these situations, it sounds like an injured athlete should call an attorney for help.
George Sink: I would.
Cindy Speaker: Are there other special issues that come up when handling worker’s compensation claims for athletes?
George Sink: The maximum compensation rate is a lot lower than many professional athletes are used to receiving. They’re held down by state legislatures to conform with usually average wages in the state. But as you know, professional athletes often make hundreds of thousands, or if not, millions of dollars. So that’s important. And also, the biggest thing, I think, and where a lawyer can really help, I believe, is translating disability—impairment to disability. What’s that? Impairment—if I lost my right hand, that’s 100% impairment. But I don’t know if it disables me and people would feel sorry, it might even help me a little. I don’t know. But would it make me a worse lawyer? Let’s argue about that, maybe a little. But Serena Williams, if she lost her right hand, she would be totally disabled, so there’s 100% impairment. It’s a 100% disability for Serena and maybe 0 for George.
So that’s a—you need a lawyer to make that translation because disability is what workers’ compensation is based on, not impairment.
Cindy Speaker: That is fascinating, and I can see where the average person would have a hard time making that translation and probably would never get a fair deal without a lawyer. Well, George, if someone wants more information on this topic, how can they reach you?
George Sink: They can get me one or two ways. Our website is www.sinklaw.com or they can call us toll free, 1-800-849-SINK, that’s 7465.
Cindy Speaker: George, thanks so much for your time today.
George Sink: Thank you, Cindy.
Cindy Speaker: This is Cindy Speaker for State Law TV.
