The parallels between NFL players and first responders

I was recently reading an article about the NFL and a player who did not have his contract renewed by his team. The player had been injured and had lost a little bit of speed.

A hall of fame player and former member of the team voiced his concerns and reached out to the player to offer his emotional support. He said, “The NFL stands for Not For Long.”

There can be parallels to the injured first responder too. Fears can come into play. A social disconnect can occur as the employee is no longer a regular part of their crew… often times, their second family. During this period of injury there can be a cut in pay since overtime cannot be worked. The “naked” paycheck- a paycheck without any extra hours worked on it can seem quite small. This size differential in paychecks can become quite drastic especially if the employee has become accustomed to paychecks with 24, 48, 72 hours or 96 hours of extra pay included all compensated at 1.5 times their regularly hourly wage.

“When will I get better? I need an MRI … it has been 3 months since my date of injury and physical therapy is not helping. I called the worker’s compensation secretary and she has no record of my injury. Argh!” Frustration can build. Anger can mount. A feeling of being “lost” in the system can be experienced. This can be internalized as a form of moral injury… a sense of betrayal from their agency after they have given their bodies, minds, and spirits to the agency in service to the public.

Sometimes first responders need to be protected from themselves as well. I once worked with a firefighter/paramedic who was consistently at the top of the list for overtime hours worked. He was at the fire station limping about on an overtime shift at my regular duty firehouse. He told me that he recently had knee surgery a few weeks prior and then when he was re-evaluated by the doctor for release to come back to work he performed a deep knee bend with his non-surgical knee. He effectively “tricked” the doctor in order to get back to work sooner than he should have. I do not think this occurred out of an overwhelming sense of duty but rather as a byproduct of workaholism and him being accustomed to the overtime hours on his paycheck.

When it comes to the worker’s compensation system, I have first hand experience with the common delays. It is an imperfect system and fraught with inefficiencies. I was speaking to my Captain once regarding my situation around a shoulder injury and he listened and provided some insights. His sister was an employee on the inside of the worker’s compensation system on the East Coast and she had a responsibility to coordinate care for 300 people. He shared that I should not take any of the issues personally but rather advocate for myself within the system, take careful notes of dates, times, and names of who I speak with… and ALWAYS be polite.

The system can feel like a labyrinth however patience, politeness, and clear communication to the other parties on the other line can go a long way to helping towards healing. In the end, my case was resolved without requiring surgery.

This was one silver lining from the COVID pandemic. My initial surgery and thousands of others across the State of California were put on “hold” by the governor as it was an “elective surgery”. This delay was fortuitous as it allowed for more physical therapy, more time for healing, increased range of motion, less pain and the eventual recommendation to be removed from the surgery calendar all by the same surgeon who had previously recommended surgery.

Sometimes “we want what we want when we want it” however sometimes things have a way of working out better or in a different manner than we could have imagined. The key is to NOT force a solution, resist letting frustrations mount and boil over become, or “trick” your way back to work early by fooling the doctor. I suggest advocating for yourself, remaining proactive and pleasant when we speak with others involved in your medical care, and allowing the process to play out. Sometimes healing can occur without surgical interventions and as I was pleasantly surprised to learn this firsthand.