Quote:They are under contract so yes, still an employee.


It all depends on what is in their contract and if it follows the CBA guidelines.


It's not uncommon for athletes to have clauses in their contracts that forbid them from dangerous activities on their own time. So yes, there are some boundaries set for employees even when "off work."


So, I don't think they could control what doctors the do/do not see unless it's in their contract and falls under CBA allowances.

One difference I can think of when comparing their employment to the Jaguars with employment for most of us:


Most of us as employees have the option to "shop" for the best employment opportunities for us as individuals. If you have a job, but another company grants you better benefits, vacation time, etc, you have that choice to go elsewhere if you want to.


Most of these players, especially the younger ones, are bound to the team that drafted them. They can't just decide to "go to another employer" if the benefits are better elsewhere.

They work for the NFL,, and are bound to an individual team. IDK if every team operates exactly the same way (probably not). But, it's not like a player can say "The Giants offer better benefits (time off) than the Jags do. I'm going to try and go work over there."


Example:

Player 1 gets drafted to the Jags.

Player 2 gets drafted with the very next pick somewhere else.


Player 1 adheres to one set of rules (maybe stricter than other franchises), while Player 2 adheres to more lenient rules.


It's not Player 1's fault who picked him. He had no choice in the matter.


**Don't get me wrong. I'm definitely not pitying the players that get to make large sums of money as an athlete. I'm just trying to put some of their options/employment in perspective.

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