The New York Times article, written by Ken Belson and published on July 18, 2016, provides some background to an ongoing lawsuit brought by Haruki Nakamura, a former defensive back who played for five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and the Carolina Panthers, who is pursuing payment under a permanent disability policy he purchased from another Lloyds of London underwriter (not PFS). A small excerpt of the article is included below, while the full article may be found at: NY Times link
Athletes have bought disability insurance for decades as a hedge against career-ending injuries like torn ligaments and broken bones. But players who leave the NFL because of severe head trauma are being forced to convince insurers that their often invisible injuries are both real and serious.
Dan Burns, chief executive of Pro Financial Services, which underwrites insurance for players and teams, said that football players were most at risk because they had short careers on average and because most contracts were not guaranteed. As a result, they should be protected against concussions and degenerative brain disease.
“It’s gotten a lot more attention, and I think the leagues have made progress in diagnosing them properly, but it’s a risk we’ve been aware of for decades,” he said.