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* UPDATED x1 * Grand bargain element under fire from NFL players union

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* As if the Bears aren’t lousy enough…

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith is prepared to tell potential free agents not to sign with the Bears should a new Illinois bill that targets athletes be passed.

This bill would remove workers’ compensation for athletes in the state of Illinois beginning at the age of 35. For a professional athlete, this would be considered injury care in retirement. […]

“This bill being sponsored by (senate Republican minority leader Christine Radogno) is being designed to target professional athletes and take away their right to health care that every worker in the state of Illinois is entitled to,” Smith told the Spiegel & Parkins Show.

“The Bears’ owners are behind it as well, to beat the expense of the players who actually do all the work. … They’re pushing the bill. Our understanding is they’re the people who have lined up the lobbyists to promote the bill.”

Background is here.

Maybe Bears players could have a Springfield lobby day. That would be pretty cool.

*** UPDATE *** All of Chicago’s professional sports teams (excluding soccer) are now in favor of the bill. Click here to see the letter.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 1:36 pm

Comments

Don’t tell him about the millionaire’s tax, then.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 1:40 pm
“We’re just here to do the lobbyist shuffle.”

Comment by Curl of the Burl Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 1:42 pm
every time I think this state could not get any more weird…..

Comment by Saluki Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 1:42 pm
Important note:

Bruce Rauner has a minority-owner stake in the Steelers.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 1:44 pm
That this proposal was not immediately removed from a key element of the Grand Bargain when it was first called out is an embarrassment. I can’t believe anyone would let the Grand Bargain go down over such a silly provision that applies to a few billionaires. Is this really where proponents of workers’ compensation reform make their final stand? Give the Bears a break or you don’t get a budget. C’mon, really?

Comment by The Real Just Me Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 1:44 pm
How do the other states treat workers comp for professional athletes? Somehow I doubt Illinois would be an outlier in changing this law…

Comment by Other States Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 1:45 pm
A tough issue to tackle. Will they try to block the grand bargain? Sounds like we need a Hail Mary pass.

Comment by Nick Name Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 1:45 pm
The Bears’ ownership has about as little credibility as Rauner.

Comment by Arsenal Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 1:46 pm
Seems to me ensuring athletes get medical coverage in case of injury would be something their agents should be negotiating with the team during contract talks.

Comment by MSIX Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 1:46 pm
This reminds me that last year Virginia McCaskey spread a little money around including to then candidate and now Senator McConchie who at the time was running against Brian Urlacher’s brother Casey. That’s cold.

Comment by The Captain Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 1:51 pm
Could you imagine getting primaried by a disgruntled Bears fan whose entire campaign would be based upon legislation that cost the Bears quality free agents?

Comment by wndycty Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 1:55 pm
Geez, what a sneakly, clumsy attempt by the McCaskeys.

Good thing the McCaskey sons can all work in a family business that’s salary-capped and profitable from national TV revenues before a single ticket is sold. Their track record running the business is terrible.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 1:56 pm
Doesn’t Bruce Rauner own a piece of the Steelers? Is this related to his crusade to put disabled workers on welfare?

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 1:57 pm
==NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith is prepared to tell potential free agents not to sign with the Bears should a new Illinois bill that targets athletes be passed.===

Can’t he just advise them to get injured during away games? /s

Comment by A guy Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 1:58 pm
Yes Rauner has part of the Steelers…and the Chicago Bulls. This applies to all professional athletes.

Comment by The anti-trib Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 2:00 pm
According to this document (is it real?), Governor Rauner also has a “partnership interest” in the Chicago Bulls, a team to which this workers’ compensation proposal would apply directly, being a “basketball…team based in Illinois.” (SB12). https://www.illinois.gov/gov/Documents/Press%20Releases/2016-Gov-SEI-2016.pdf

Comment by The Real Just Me Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 2:01 pm
None of this will matter if Madigan declines to move the Grand Bargain in the House (a scenario that seems more and more likely every day).

Madigan isn’t going to pass up a chance to screw over his “friend” Cullerton AND deny Rauner a victory at the same time. It’s win-win for him.

Comment by tobias846 Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 2:07 pm
Sounds like a good reason to hold up a budget. Welfare for the Mcaskey’s and Ricketts.

Comment by jade me not Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 2:09 pm
So even though there are very few if any players over the age of 35, the players believe they are entitled to lifetime benefits?

Higher paid workers like professional athletes can afford to buy individual disability income policies.

Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 2:13 pm
–So even though there are very few if any players over the age of 35, the players believe they are entitled to lifetime benefits?–

For injuries and disabilities incurred as a direct result of their employment, like anyone else.

–Higher paid workers like professional athletes can afford to buy individual disability income policies.–

LOL, yeah, insurance companies are just lining up to write individual insurance policies for football players. What’s the risk — except lifetime disabilities and CTE-dementia.

LP, is this one of those workers comp. changes that you’ve been telling us will “grow the economy.” Is there going to be a massive relocation of NFL teams to Illinois if it passes?

The NFL is scared to death of the advances in CTE research. Currently, it can only be diagnosed after an autopsy, but that ain’t going to last forever.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 2:24 pm
Bears even funble in off season.

Comment by jimk849b Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 2:24 pm
Won’t happen. Bears can’t pass anything.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 2:26 pm
@Word. You beat me to it. For the NFL, it’s completely about the effects of concussions.

Comment by Bogey Golfer Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 2:32 pm
Insurance companies write disability policies for NFL players all the time. It would be malpractice for a player’s agent to not secure this coverage.

The debate is over the amount of the benefit. The team would clearly not be paying a player beyond the age of 35 such a huge salary

Comment by Lucky Pierre Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 2:37 pm
Just drag ‘em out to the rail and work ‘em over.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 2:40 pm
Good to know someone is considering the impact of this on a nonprofit organization.

Comment by Cold of Winter Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 2:48 pm
Tobias846, maybe you’re right and this will not pass the House, but why would the Senate leaders put any of their members on this roll call. It’s an embarrassingly “special” piece of legislation that changes current law that no one ever cared about before to give further advantages to the ultra-privileged few.

Comment by The Real Just Me Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 2:50 pm
–Insurance companies write disability policies for NFL players all the time. It would be malpractice for a player’s agent to not secure this coverage.–

Unlike the other pro team sports, NFL contracts are not guaranteed, except for the signing bonus.

Some players get disability insurance for the portions of their contract that is not guaranteed.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 2:50 pm
ah the privileges of ownership. sit in a box. watched your hired help playing the game your father/grandfather/great grandfather created. complain about the play after. and never, never get the admin decisions right that could help a team, or, in this case, hurt a team.

Comment by Amalia Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 2:52 pm
Maybe the ILAG could file a class action nonperformance lawsuit against the Bears on behalf of ticket buyers . . . .

Comment by Flapdoodle Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 2:54 pm
=The NFL is scared to death of the advances in CTE research. Currently, it can only be diagnosed after an autopsy, but that ain’t going to last forever.=

Bingo, that’s what this is all about. I’ve yet to hear the stories about the scads of basketball or baseball player who suffered dementia from playing the game and took their life.

Comment by Pundent Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 3:03 pm
Just want to throw out there that NFL average salaries are the lowest of the four major professional leagues at $1.9M. And broken down by age, the average salary is highest at age 37.

http://www.besttickets.com/blog/unofficial-2013-nfl-census/

Comment by cracked screen Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 3:12 pm
===Bruce Rauner has a minority-owner stake in the Steelers.===

And Red Sox.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 3:33 pm
To the update, so the Bears and Sox are not sucking off the private trough enough already by playing in government subsidized stadiums?

Comment by The Real Just Me Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 3:59 pm
This is such a Bearsy move.

Comment by Biker Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 3:59 pm
The average career length for a rookie that makes an opening day roster is six years. It takes three full seasons to vest in NFLPA disability benefits.

(The NFLPA is the worst union in sports; if Marvin Miller instead of Gene Upshaw had been running the show all those years, football players would be getting a much larger share of the pie, especially for the risks associated with their vocation).

The idea that you can buy lifetime disability insurance in your 20s for the risks associated with even a short NFL career is absurd.

The NFL is a $13 billion a year enterprise with cost controls via a salary cap and unlimited revenue potential via TV contracts, merchandising, etc.

Cry me a river, McCaskeys, on paying workers comp. Nobody’s tuning in or going to games to watch you own. Especially you, the way you own.

Comment by wordslinger Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 4:08 pm
I could be wrong, but wasn’t part of this an idea that the huge payouts for NFL players, due to big salaries, was raising the average for workers comp claims and affecting the rates for everyone (non-athletes)? Or did I imagine that?

Comment by m Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 4:32 pm
Good, now the players can pay for their own crippling opioid addiction /s

Comment by njtransplant Friday, Feb 3, 17 @ 4:56 pm