Zurich partners with Players Health
Zurich North America is partnering with Players Health, a provider of risk management services and insurance products to sports organizations. The companies are introducing “a first-of-its-kind” Critical Injury Protection Insurance solution for colleges, universities, collectives and their student athletes who receive name, image and likeness payments. The new insurance protects these institutions’ financial investments in top student-athletes in the event the athlete suffers a season-disrupting injury.
The Critical Injury Protection Insurance policy provides cover to the college or collective for NIL contract payments made or owed to an athlete who suffers an injury in official play, practice or training that causes them to miss a significant portion of the season (typically 40% or more). As the NIL space continues to evolve, the surplus-lines coverage is customizable and tailored to the value of NIL contracts. Another iteration of the offering can provide coverage to athletes for potential loss of future NIL-related income due to injury.
The policy, underwritten by Zurich, is distributed exclusively through Players Health, which also makes it available through a recently announced integration with Teamworks, the Operating System for Sports. Teamworks provides college athletics software used by 99% of Division I athletic departments and more than 6,500 elite sports teams globally.
The policy debuted for college football season and is now being marketed for men’s and women’s college basketball, as well as the college football 2026 transfer portal.
“Every major change in college athletics should start with one question: does this make the game safer and more sustainable for athletes? This partnership allows us to answer ‘yes’ in a tangible way. I started Players Health to create the safest and most accessible environment possible for athletes to play the sport they love. As Players Health has grown, we’re excited to take this next step with Zurich. Working with a leading commercial insurance provider to fulfill an emerging need is a force multiplier that helps us protect more organizations and athletes as the playing field gets more complex.” – Players Health founder and CEO Tyrre Burks.
“The Zurich-Players Health NIL offering is about much more than insurance. It’s a relationship born out of Players Health’s broader mission to support athlete safety and Zurich’s commitment to help organizations and individuals to meet tomorrow prepared.” – Marty Banaszek, Head of Group Accident at Zurich North America.
