N.F.L. Players Say They Were Shortchanged on Disability Benefits

When McKenzie, who played for the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints, applied for disability benefits in 2018, he was evaluated by an orthopedist hired by the plan who denied every one of the 17 players he saw, according to the lawsuit.

Smith, who retired in 2013, has damaged knees and shoulders, and has been unable to work. When he applied for disability benefits in 2018, he was told to fly from his home in New Jersey to see a doctor in North Carolina who, he said, spent 10 minutes evaluating him. The doctor did not include in his report Smith’s “decreased shoulder range of motion, rotator cuff weakness, and moderate to severe shoulder arthritis” and did not recognize Smith’s head, neck, and spinal damage.

The doctor was paid at least $1,811,566 by the retirement plan and rejected all seven of the players he evaluated, the lawsuit said.

The low approval rates have led Smith to question whether the N.F.L. is being sincere about offering benefits to retired players.

“They portrayed this image like, ‘we care about the players, we’re doing all this stuff for player safety,’” Smith said. “And then as soon as you’re not on the roster making them any money playing out on the field, they’re like, ‘OK, we’ll give you five years of insurance, now go leave us alone.’”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/09/sports/football/nfl-disability-benefits-lawsuit.html