Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders insured for bowl game. The risk is still high.

On By Littum

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SAN ANTONIO – Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter has endured several injury scares during his college career, including a lacerated liver that kept him out of three games in 2023 and a shoulder injury that knocked him out of a match in October.

But he’s not too worried about getting hurt in his final college game Saturday in the Alamo Bowl against BYU. Unlike all the other top NFL prospects skipping bowl games To avoid the risk of injury, Colorado’s two-way football star has thrown caution to the wind. He floated through the air and put on a dunk show before a recent Colorado basketball game, and now he’s expected to play nearly every Saturday on offense and defense.

“I’m grateful to be able to play another game,” Hunter said recently on his podcast. “I don’t think I could have gone a whole month without playing football.”

It helps that Colorado has paid the premium on insurance to cover him and others if they are injured in the Alamo Bowl. Yet history shows the many ways these policies can fall short when millions of dollars are at stake. Hunter’s decision also adds fuel to the debate over whether an NFL team should allow him to play either way as he wants, as it also increases the injury risk for this unique freak of an athlete.

“Is it really worth the risk of being permanently disabled and never achieving your dream of playing in the NFL, or playing in a Super Bowl, or signing multiple lucrative NFL contracts equivalent to generational wealth, just to play in the 2024 Alamo Bowl at Saturday?” said Richard Giller, a noted sports insurance attorney in Los Angeles.

Giller said in an email that “there is absolutely NO reason Hunter should ever play in what amounts to a meaningless, non-(playoff) bowl game and risk his financial future to do so. “

The Willis McGahee case

As a projected top-10 NFL draft pick, Hunter is set to sign a multi-year contract worth around $20 million-$40 million. The same goes for Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who is also playing in the bowl game instead of opting out. On Thursday, Sanders was asked why he is risking it to run.

He noted that he could have turned pro after last season if he was concerned about an injury in college that would hurt his future earning potential.

“We may never get a chance to play together again on the same team,” he said. “So it’s about cherishing the moment. It’s about knowing this is the last collegiate game. And every single game we left it all out there. So there is no regret. I will never go anywhere with regret.”

There are still enough cautionary tales to make them consider whether one last college game is worth it before the NFL draft in April. In 2003, University of Miami running back Willis McGahee was also projected to be a top draft pick before he seriously injured his left knee in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State. He slipped to 23rdrd pick in the draft and got a $7 million contract for five years, plus incentives.

Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith also fell in the draft after injuring his knee in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl. So did Michigan tight end Jake Butt, who injured his own knee in the Orange Bowl later that year.

Everyone had insurance. But none really came close to covering the hole of what they really lost to bowl game injuries, according to reports. In Butt’s case, he was supposed to pick up $543,000 from his insurance, but fell so far in the draft that he ultimately lost $2.8 million to the injury, according to ESPN. In McGahee’s case, he took one out $2.5 million policy shortly before the bowl game, but could only collect it if he never played football again. He returned to play in 2004 and played 10 seasons in the NFL.

Fighting for insurance payouts

It all depends on what kind of policy the players have, whether it’s more than just disability coverage, and what the language in the insurance contract says.

Colorado declined to provide additional information about the insurance purchased for Hunter and Sanders, but described it as disability insurance. There aren’t many publicly confirmed cases where insurance companies for these types of policies have paid out to college athletes, said Josh Lens, an associate professor at Iowa who has researched insurance coverage for college athletes.

“For permanent total disability policies, for example, the lack of publicly confirmed payouts can be largely attributed to the policy language, which typically requires an injury or illness that prevents the athlete from participating in their sport,” Lens said.

It can also turn into a battle when injuries occur and players file claims to collect on insurance. Giller said he has helped dozens of professional athletes with various types of disability insurance where their claims were initially denied.

“I have recovered payouts in every case, but in my experience, the higher the loss (and $20 million would be a big loss), the more likely the insurer would try to find a way to not pay out under the policy,” Giller said in an email.

Travis Hunter’s other risk concerns

Hunter is unique in that he plays nearly every game at cornerback and receiver, participating in 1,443 snaps this season. More games means more risk of injury. That’s why NFL teams might be wary of letting him play both ways. They don’t want to jeopardize their big financial investment in him if another top player can fill in at receiver, for example, so Hunter can rest and focus on one position instead.

Giller also notes Hunter’s size at just 185 pounds.

“Very few NFL players have ever played both ways, and it’s highly doubtful, given Hunter’s size, that an NFL team would allow him to play both ways,” said Giller of the firm Greenspoon Marder. “The dollars invested in first-round draft picks are just too high these days to take a risk.”

But there is also insurance for that. He said NFL teams can purchase a temporary total disability policy to cover the possible financial losses associated with the guaranteed portion of players’ contracts.

The counterargument

Hunter didn’t become the great football player, he’s worrying about all the risks lurking around every corner and holding back. If future financial risk is the main concern, why even play in the final games of the regular season when your team is out of contention for a championship?

At some point, all risk reduction can limit the player’s potential, in addition to hurting the entertainment product, as it has for many non-playoff bowl games.

Both players are also taking cues from their coach, Deion Sanders, who wanted both to play in this game, even though he is a strong advocate of players maximizing their financial future.

“Our kids are going to play in our bowl game because that’s what we signed up for and we’re going to finish,” Deion Sanders said last month. “We don’t want to strike out because that throws off the structure of next season. There are a couple (teams), mind you, they lay an egg in the bowl game and they haven’t recovered since. We don’t plan on that to do.”

Kickoff at the Alamodome in San Antonio is set for 7:30 PM ET on ABC.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: [email protected]