Does Port Huron/Flint have insurance..

[WorcShark]

For their players?

This thread seems to think they do not (and was locked without an explanation).
http://www.continentalindoorfootball.com/CIFLForum/index.php?topic=4260.0

Is it a league rule that teams must provide insurance for their players?

[exit322]

I do not know if the Pirates don't have insurance. Most of the time you buy it for an entire season and pay it in one big chunk (from what I understand), so it makes sense if they do.

[Surgefan]

I'd be interested in an answer myself...

[Coach Gade]

Just another example of the league hiding, and locking a thread without answering the question. Leave the CIFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tatonka]

We can't lock threads here Coach Gade... besides, it's a question for the team, not the league, to answer.

[exit322]

Like I said, I think it's almost always bought in a season chunk - and this'd probably apply for the playoffs, because I'd say it was a safe bet from Day One that the Port Huron of Michigan Pirates of Flint would be going deep.

[WorcShark]

We can't lock threads here Coach Gade... besides, it's a question for the team, not the league, to answer.

Just to be clear - the league doesn't ask for proof of player insurance for each team?

I thought I read on the official CIFL board that the league verifies this?

[Tatonka]

It is required before the season kicks off, it's not practical to confirm it each and every week... in most cases, we're notified if there's a problem with a team's policy; that hasn't happened in this case.

[Ducej11]

you have to remember also, that the insurance issue, is pure speculation made by someone that is not 100%. So for all we know, they have it in place and are ready to go

[Surgefan]

It is required before the season kicks off, it's not practical to confirm it each and every week... in most cases, we're notified if there's a problem with a team's policy; that hasn't happened in this case.

Make it "practical".

We're talking about making sure injured players are taken care of, and that should be pretty high on the "to do" list every week.

[phydeaux72]

When a team purchases a workers comp policy, all they have to do is name the league and all of it's member teams as certificate holders. In most cases, the certificate holders will be notified by the insurance company if the policy has lapsed.

[WorcShark]

you have to remember also, that the insurance issue, is pure speculation made by someone that is not 100%. So for all we know, they have it in place and are ready to go

Which is why I asked the question.

Thanks for the reply Tatonka. Though phydeaux72 and surgefan have a point.

[Surgefan]

Phydeaux72's post raises an interesting question.

If that statement is correct, and on its face it appears to be a logical presumption, exactly how would that qualify as "not practical"?

[Tatonka]

I just said that if there's a problem, the league gets notified...

Also, workers comp policies are typically billed in 6 month increments, after the fact... so like in the case of a team in another league that I used to do some work for, you can see on their county's online court docket, that they've been sued several times for non-payment of that premium.

The misunderstandings come from when there's say, a relationship with a particular doctor working with/sponsoring the team. Say the team relocates, or hints at relocating, of for some other reason the doc feels he's not getting his end of the deal. He may have declined to work on a player since he will have to wait awhile to recover the insurance payout anyway, and the player thinks it's because the team no longer has insurance.

Sometimes, the players are some of the least informed people in the organization. Right or wrong, they can frequently be the last to know...

[Coach Gade]

Tatonka I apologize. And maybe....no I know you guys are smarter when it comes to workmans comp issues than I, but I have 4 past players from last year that sustained serious injuries, (2 torn ACL's, 1 Miniscus, and 1 concussion) that the players are paying out of pocket. WHat seems to make the league $$ is players, but the players are not the priority of the league. Im not an attorney, but these guys got screwed. I think the league shoud do a "random" insurance check on 3 teams each week. It keeps the teams honest, and helps the leagues image to the players. No insurance, no play. The players safety and well being has to be #1. Our owners from what I understand purchased a policy, faxed a copy to the league, then cancelled it. A little bit of work oby the league would have solved that problem. Would I have been pissed at the league for cancelling a game due to lack of player insurance, hell no!!!!

[exit322]

If you're going to do the insurance checks, you simply contact the insurance agency every week to make sure it's still valid.

[Surgefan]

I just said that if there's a problem, the league gets notified...


in most cases, we're notified if there's a problem with a team's policy

Which to me indicates it doesn't happen all the time, unless you misspoke that is.

[Surgefan]

If you're going to do the insurance checks, you simply contact the insurance agency every week to make sure it's still valid.

That hardly seems "not practical". :confused:

[Bonzogonzo24]

Our owners from what I understand purchased a policy, faxed a copy to the league, then cancelled it.

Maybe I haven't been around minor-league indoor football long enough, but that is unbelievable if true. Hearing everything that happened to that team this year, I guess it's not that unbelievable.

This is something that should not be tolerated. First offense, your team is out and the organization should honor player contracts and pay them the rest of the season (but that's impossible since most are one week deals to cover the owner's ass). If any team plays without insurance they should be caught. And if there's that big of a problem in the CIFL with this, the league should check each team, each week. It's that important.

[Tatonka]

Tatonka I apologize. And maybe....no I know you guys are smarter when it comes to workmans comp issues than I, but I have 4 past players from last year that sustained serious injuries, (2 torn ACL's, 1 Miniscus, and 1 concussion) that the players are paying out of pocket. WHat seems to make the league $$ is players, but the players are not the priority of the league. Im not an attorney, but these guys got screwed. I think the league shoud do a "random" insurance check on 3 teams each week. It keeps the teams honest, and helps the leagues image to the players. No insurance, no play. The players safety and well being has to be #1. Our owners from what I understand purchased a policy, faxed a copy to the league, then cancelled it. A little bit of work oby the league would have solved that problem. Would I have been pissed at the league for cancelling a game due to lack of player insurance, hell no!!!!

Coach, here's one point I agree with you very much on... The players DO tend to get overlooked, and after what happened this year I hope the league is able to better implement some checks and balances into the system to keep these things from happening again, or to nip them in the bud as soon as they do.

Without the players, there are no games... if there are no games, then there is no league... we know that, and need to improve conditions for the players going forward.

BTW, my examples were just that, examples. I don't pretend to be an expert on the insurance issues either, just trying to bring my perspective.