A California court ruled the Atlanta Falcons are exempt from paying worker’s comp to former player Wayne Gandy.
CALIFORNIA, USA — A California Appellate Court has ruled that the Atlanta Falcons are exempt from California’s workers’ compensation law and are not responsible for payments to former NFL player Wayne Gandy.
Gandy, a 15-year NFL veteran, filed a workers’ comp claim in California several years after retiring in 2009, naming multiple franchises as employers, including the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, St. Louis Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New Orleans Saints. Gandy’s case then focused on whether the Falcons, Gandy’s last NFL team, which he played for from 2006 to 2009, was liable to pay his claim.
In a decision published by the Fourth Appellate District in Santa Ana, the court found that Gandy, who played only one season for the Los Angeles Rams and spent fewer than 20 percent of his total career in the state, could not claim coverage for cumulative injuries under California law.
The appellate decision further cemented legal precedent that professional athletes are exempt from California’s workers’ compensation benefits for cumulative injuries unless they spent two or more seasons, or at least 20 percent of their career, playing for California-based teams and fewer than seven seasons elsewhere.
As a result, athletes with mostly out-of-state careers can no longer expect California coverage based on limited time with local teams.
The ruling may impact future claims by former professional athletes with brief ties to California.