Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders are insured for the bowl game. The risk is still huge.

SAN ANTONIO – Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter suffered several injury scares during his college career, including a ruptured liver that kept him out of three games in 2023 and a shoulder injury that knocked him out of a game in October.

But he’s not too worried about getting hurt in his final college game on Saturday in the Alamo Bowl against BYU. Unlike all the other top NFL contenders who are skipping bowl games to avoid the risk of injury, Colorado’s two-way football star has thrown caution to the wind. He flew through the air and put on a dunk show before a recent basketball game in Colorado, and now he’s expected to play on offense and defense almost every Saturday.

“I’m grateful to be able to play another game,” Hunter recently said on his podcast. “I don’t think I could have gone a whole month without football.”

It helps that Colorado paid the premium on insurance policies to protect him and others in the event they were injured in the Alamo Bowl. But history shows how many ways these measures can fall short when millions of dollars are at stake. Hunter’s decision also fuels the debate over whether an NFL team should allow him to play both ways as he wants, as it also increases the risk of injury for this unique athlete.

“Is it really worth the risk of being permanently disabled and never achieving your dream of playing in the NFL or playing in a Super Bowl or signing multiple lucrative NFL contracts that represent generational wealth just to be on Playing in the 2024 Alamo Bowl on Saturday? “said Richard Giller, a renowned sports insurance recovery attorney in Los Angeles.

Giller said in an email: “There is absolutely NO reason why Hunter should ever play in a meaningless, non-playoff bowl game and risk his financial future to do so.”

The Willis McGahee case

A projected top-10 NFL draft pick, Hunter is expected to sign a multi-year contract worth approximately $20 million to $40 million. The same goes for Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who is also playing in the bowl game instead of opting out. On Thursday, Sanders was asked why he was taking the risk of joining.

He noted that he could have turned pro after last season if he was concerned that an injury in college would affect his future earning potential.

“We may never get the chance to play together on the same team again,” he said. “So it’s about appreciating the moment. It’s about knowing this is the last college game. And in every single game we left everything out there. So there are no regrets. I never want to go anywhere with regrets.”

There are still enough cautionary tales to make them consider whether one last college game before the NFL Draft in April is worth it. In 2003, University of Miami running back Willis McGahee was also considered a top draft pick before seriously injuring his left knee in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State. He slipped to 23rd^approx selected the draft and received a $7 million contract for five years plus incentives.

Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith also fell out of the draft after injuring his knee in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl. That’s what happened to Michigan tight end Jake Butt, who injured his knee in the Orange Bowl later that year.

Everyone had insurance policies. However, according to reports, neither could really fill the void they actually lost due to bowl game injuries. According to ESPN, Butt’s case saw him collect $543,000 from his insurance company, but failed so far in the draft that he ultimately lost $2.8 million due to the injury. In McGahee’s case, he took out a $2.5 million policy just before the bowl game, but could only collect on it if he never played football again. He returned to playing in 2004 and played ten seasons in the NFL.

Fight for insurance payments

It all depends on what type of policy the players have, whether it is more than just disability insurance, and what the language of the insurance contract says.

Colorado declined to provide further details about the insurance policies taken out for Hunter and Sanders, but described it as disability insurance. “There aren’t many publicly confirmed cases where insurers have paid out such policies to college athletes,” said Josh Lens, an associate professor at Iowa who has researched insurance coverage for college athletes.

“For permanent total disability policies, for example, a lack of publicly verified payouts can be largely attributed to the policy language, which typically requires an injury or illness that prevents the athlete from participating in their sport,” Lens said.

It can also become a struggle when injuries occur and players make insurance claims. Giller said he has helped dozens of professional athletes with various types of disability insurance in which their claims were initially denied.

“I have received payouts back in each case, but in my experience, the greater the loss (and $20 million), the more likely the insurance company would try to find a way to avoid paying out the payouts as part of the indemnity a big loss). policy,” Giller said in an email.

More risk concerns from Travis Hunter

Hunter is unique in that he plays cornerback and receiver almost every play and has played in 1,443 snaps this season. More games mean a higher risk of injury. For this reason, NFL teams might be wary of letting him play both ways. They don’t want to jeopardize their large financial investment in him if, for example, another top player can step in at receiver, allowing Hunter to rest and focus on one position instead.

Giller also points out that Hunter only weighs 185 pounds.

“Very few NFL players have ever played both ways and, given Hunter’s size, it is highly doubtful that an NFL team would allow him to play both ways,” said Giller of Greenspoon Marder. “The money invested in first-round draft picks is simply too high to take a risk these days.”

But there is insurance for that too. He said NFL teams can purchase temporary total disability insurance to cover possible financial losses associated with the guaranteed portion of players’ contracts.

The counterargument

Hunter didn’t become the great football player he is because he worried about the risks lurking around every corner and held back. If future financial risk is the biggest concern, why even attend the final games of the regular season when your team is no longer in contention for the championship?

At some point, any reduction in risk can limit the player’s potential and further damage the entertainment product, as is the case with many bowl games outside of the playoffs.

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