In light of some recent lawsuits involving the NFL, multiple issues have come to the public's attention. Among them are the correlation between concussions and dementia, the high risk to athletes of all ages and the status of athletes as employees entitled to workers' compensation.

Though young athletes may seem invincible, they are actually more susceptible to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive brain disease caused by repeated head injuries such as concussions. Young athletes may experience more severe damage than older athletes because their brains are not fully mature.

When those young adults pursue professional careers, they may be surprised to learn that they do not qualify for workers' compensation in some states. In some states, professional athletes are not legally employees and are excluded from coverage. That is based on the assumption that they make enough money and there is inherent and assumed risk involved in the profession.

The average professional athlete does make on average nearly $80,000. That salary it is not considered to be extraordinarily high; taking into consideration the short, two to four year average career length, that wage seems less significant.

Though a strict causal relationship between concussions and dementia is difficult to prove, it may not be necessary. In one court case, it was ruled that the work environment must contribute to the deterioration of health in some way, proving sole causation is not necessary.

That was supported by another case, where it was determined that an occupational claim need only prove that a hazard inherent to the job was a contributing factor in the severity or onset of the disease.

Also established by subsequent lawsuits was that the statute of limitations cannot set in until the worker realizes that their injury or illness is work-related and they can, therefore, receive compensation.

When applied to professional athletes with dementia and CTE, the implications are clear. When an athlete suffers from injuries as an obvious result of repeated head trauma during the course of their employment, they should be due workers' compensation.

Source: Bloody Elbow, "Notes on the Concussion Crisis: Worker's Compensation and Dementia," David Castillo, Jan. 4, 2011