Unordinary Joe Can Get Workers’ Comp

For the last 10 years, attorney Ron Mix--a former lineman with the San Diego Chargers--has represented athletes in workers’ compensation cases in California.

Although the cases make up only a small percentage of his practice, Mix has received a lot of attention working for former athletes who have applied for the state’s lump-sum, tax-free benefits paid to workers disabled on the job.

Critics argue that the system was designed for less-celebrated wage earners who work in dangerous jobs and lost income when they couldn’t work, not for professional athletes whose salaries run into the millions.

Former San Francisco 49er quarterback Joe Montana and Raider running back Bo Jackson are two of the many high-salaried athletes who have filed claims.

“It’s not a lucrative practice for an attorney, but athletes are workers too,” Mix said. “They have the highest injury rate on the job of any other group.

“But not all of the athletes are at the level of a Joe Montana. For every [Montana], there are at least 100 [lesser-known athletes] who were injured and need compensation once their careers are over.”

Montana, once the NFL’s highest-paid athlete, recently filed claims for assorted injuries that date to 1979.

“Joe is pretty beat up,” Montana’s lawyer, George Hill, who would not reveal how much Montana is seeking in benefits, told the Associated Press. “He’s had 10 or 15 surgeries on his back, knees and elbows.

“The biggest concern with Joe is not the money, it’s his health and medical care. It could cost millions of dollars later on.”

Nearly a dozen states--including Florida, Maryland and Texas--impose tough restrictions on how professional athletes can collect compensation.

In California, however, athletes are treated like any other employee eligible in the $8-billion workers’ compensation system that handles 260,000 claims each year.

California lawmakers considered changing the law, but the issue was dropped because the state felt that it would hurt the average worker more than the few superstar athletes who make claims.

“There is an inaccurate belief by the public that the benefits come from revenue from taxpayers, but clubs have [disability] insurance just like they have health insurance,” Mix said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.