Tom Brady and Drew Brees were the first two players listed on the NFLPA’s lawsuit against the NFL during the lockout back in 2011. On Monday, the pair of All-Pro quarterbacks teamed up to take another shot at the legal system.
This time Brady and Brees chose the written word as their medium of choice, writing a joint op-ed piece in Monday’s San Francisco Chronicle (Note: the original article is behind a paywall) in opposition to a proposed law in California. The proposed law they’re targeting is Assembly Bill 1309 and it, as the pair of pocket passers wrote, “unfairly targets professional athletes” when it comes to workers’ compensation.
The bill, if passed, would classify athletes differently than nearly every other job in the state of California, making it nearly impossible for any athlete to qualify for workers’ comp if he or she is injured. So, Brady (torn ACL in 2008) and Brees (torn labrum in 2006), who have both suffered serious injuries during their NFL careers, decided to take action.
“From our perspective, injury is a reality of our job and so is the obligation to take care of people hurt at work,” they wrote. “In California, that care to professional athletes is threatened by a proposed law, Assembly Bill 1309.”
Brady and Brees were quick to acknowledge that they personally are “very well compensated,” but their main concern appears to be with their teammates and fellow players around the league.
“This bill would exempt players, leaving no room for judges to make fair and reasonable decisions for thousands of pending and legitimate claims by professional athletes,” they added. “There are players — real people with real families — out there who are literally fighting to save their legs and get the medical care they need for the injuries they suffered at work.”
The two future Hall of Famers also noted the increased concern over health and safety among NFL players as a reason for not keeping athletes from such benefits.
“We are all growing increasingly aware of the health and safety issues associated with professional sports,” wrote Brady and Brees. “Instead of spending money lobbying for a bill that makes it more difficult to deal [with] those issues, we should all be working together to care for those who are affected by them.”
Click here to read the entire op-ed piece from Brady and Brees from the NFL Players Association.
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