Acadiana Business

Saints' workers comp bill placed on IR

by Walter Pierce

Lawmakers are getting out of a dispute between New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson and NFL players about workers compensation claims.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Lawmakers are getting out of a dispute between New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson and NFL players about workers compensation claims.

Hammond Rep. Chris Broadwater said Tuesday he's shelving the bill for the legislative session, hoping the two sides can negotiate a compromise.

Broadwater's bill was pushed by the Saints organization to calculate workers compensation for professional athletes based on recent earnings, not future possible wages.

The NFL Players Association said the proposal would lessen the amount of workers compensation the Saints pay in injury cases. Saints officials said they're seeking to stop repeated lawsuits over workers compensation.

The bill received House support, but opposition intensified as the measure headed to the Senate. Saints players had planned to visit the Capitol this week to urge senators to vote against it.