Question about IR and Players salaries

[ctpatsfan1]

Can anyone tell me if a player is put on IR does he get his full salary or does he get an injury settlement which is something less than the full salary.

Reason I ask is a debate has arisen concerning Bruschi and how the Pats paid him his full salary when he went on IR after the stroke. I didn't think they had to pay him his full salary but did anyway.

any help would be appreciated.

 

[tatepatsfan]

Bruschi never went on the IR after his stroke, he was on the PUP list.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

If a player is on the "Injuried Reserved" list, he gets his full salary. If a player is injured and the team wishes to cut him, then they reach an "Injury settlement". I believe that you can not cut anyone while they are on the IR, so that is where the "injury settlement" thing comes along. It is used to protect the players from getting cut just for being injuried.

The Bruschi situation was different. The Patriots could have placed Bruschi on the "non-football related injury list" and not paid him his full salary. Of course, they would have been a huge public outcry if they did that. I'm not sure what happens to the "rights" to the player if you put him on the NFRIL.

 

[NE39]

Unless the player has a split contract, he gets his full salary.

Late round picks and undrafted FA usually get split salaries in their first season or two. The split pays them about half the rate of their salary for the season if they end up on IR. They get their full salary if they are on the active roster. This effects only salary, and not other types of compensation like signing and roster bonus.

Veterans don't usually get split contracts, unless they don't have much bargaining power and are forced to take them. Usually that is only with players who don't have much value and are getting a shot or players with an injury history.

Must veterans don't have split contracts, so they get their full salary if placed on IR.

 

[mgteich]

Players often have a split contract that reduces the salary for IR; also, the player won't earn incentives.

 

[SBPatsFan]

There is a difference between football and non-football related injuries. The stroke was classified as non-football related I believe.

This is from ASK Vic on the Jaguars website.

"The non-football injury list is for players who've sustained non-football-related injuries, which means their teams are not required to pay their salaries. A player who has sustained a non-football-related injury can not be placed on the injured reserve list."

He then goes on to say that the two lists [IR and Non-football related Injury] are distinct and determined by when and how the injury was sustained.

While on IR a team is reposnible for the salary but this is not the case for players on the non-football injury list; the team does not have to pay the salary in the latter case but often still chooses to.

 

[arrellbee]

Players often have a split contract that reduces the salary for IR; also, the player won't earn incentives.

Tiny tweak - if they go on IR late, they may have already earned certain incentives ??

 

[AzPatsFan]

This brings up a pet peeve. Players when placed on the IR are lost for the "balance of the season". If the player is on a poor team, he returns the following spring traing camp.

If his team is good, and gets to the playoffs and the "second season", he still can't play even if he has returned to health, and has been out for the "balance of the [regular] season".

I know that the league does not want teams stockpiling talent by putting players on 15 day DL or 30 day DLs. But the penalty should be the same for both good and bad teams. In this case good teams are penalized and lose an injured player for more games than a poor team does.

Besides its unfair for a player to get injured, if and his team goes to the Superbowl for the only time in his career, he can't participate, even if he has returned to health.