From Miami to East Lansing, student-athletes are securing their futures by insuring their bodies.
One textbook example took place when University of Miami sophomore tailback Willis McGahee suffered a career-threatening leg injury in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3. He had previously purchased insurance, anticipating he would be selected as a top pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.
But after the injury, his draft status is in limbo following surgery to repair torn ligaments crucial to his style of running. But for $20,000, he made sure his future would be secure - even if he isn't selected in the April draft.
Under the insurance plan, McGahee will receive $2.5 million if he is unable to play in the pros, according to Keith Lerner, owner of Total Planning - the Gainesville, Fla.-based consulting firm that finalized the star Hurricane's insurance plan just hours before the game. The plan is not part of an NCAA-sponsored program.
In light of McGahee's injury, MSU hockey team's senior defenseman John-Michael Liles said he is glad he purchased the NCAA Exceptional Student-Athlete Disability Insurance Program.
"I came in right after the play and a bunch of the guys were sitting around the TV," Liles said of McGahee's injury. "I was kind of afraid to watch it. They said he was pretty much bent backward - that was scary to see."
Under Liles' plan, he would receive compensation if an injury he sustained as a Spartan prevents him from playing professional hockey. Liles is one of five MSU hockey players with the plan. Three football players also own a plan. Names of other players weren't released.
Players projected to enter either the upcoming NHL or NFL drafts within the first three rounds, or the first round of the WNBA, NBA and MLB drafts are eligible for the package. Student-athletes who have also already been drafted by teams, like Liles, are also eligible for the program.
The Colorado Avalanche selected Liles in the fifth round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, and he purchased the plan for about $1,000 in December.
Liles said he saw former players Andrew Hutchinson and Adam Hall signing the agreement last year. After talking with both players, he decided he would file with the NCAA.
Both Hutchinson and Hall are in their rookie years within the Nashville Predators organization.
"It's always good to have a backup policy," Liles said. "It's good for guys that think they could be going on. At least if (McGahee) doesn't play football, he'll have something to fall back on."
And players who have the potential to be high draft picks, such as the football team's redshirt freshman linebacker Seth Mitchell, said he might consider the policy later in his college career.
"I think it's a very good idea, because at the same time as a player representing the university, you're also representing yourself," Mitchell said. "If you're fortunate enough to make it to a bowl game, it's only fair you want to be reimbursed, because you don't want to say 'I don't want to play in this game because I'm going to the (NFL).'"
Mitchell said the McGahee injury made his stomach hurt and said he would buy the plan if he is projected to go high enough in the NFL Draft.
But football and hockey are not the only sports where players use the plan. The baseball team's sophomore infielder Travis Gulick said he's heard about players in his sport using the plan, but he hasn't made the investment.
"I can see how it's in the athlete's benefit," Gulick said. "I don't know if all athletes should have it, but I think for those who have the opportunity to enter the league, it could be good."
Meanwhile, students have mixed reactions about whether student-athletes should insure their bodies.
"If they get hurt, they get hurt," advertising freshman Stacey Matthews said. "They're putting their bodies on the line - they should get something."
But social science sophomore Tom Gunnells said he doesn't see the practicality of such a program.
"I don't see anyone who in their mind would pay for body insurance," Gunnells said. "It's not like a house
