The Financial and Professional Impact of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in National Football League Athletes

Abstract

On average, ACL-injured players earned $2,070,521 less than salary-matched controls over the 4 years after injury. Players initially earning less than $2 million per year have lower mean salaries and are less likely to remain in the league than uninjured controls. The careers of players initially earning over $2 million per year, meanwhile, are not negatively affected. This demonstrates the degree of negative impact these injuries have on the careers of NFL players. It also indicates that a player's standing within the league before injury strongly influences how much an ACL injury will affect his career.