Workers’ Compensation Settlement for Former Eagles Player Chris Maragos
Attorney Mark R. Schmidt represented Philadelphia Eagles player Chris Maragos in his workers’ compensation claim against the team. While many stories have focused on later personal injury litigation, far fewer people know that the matter began with a Pennsylvania workers’ compensation claim arising directly from a work-related injury. Public discussion of the workers’ compensation issues was limited at the time due to a non-disclosure agreement while additional lawsuits were pending.
Maragos, a Special Teams Captain, suffered a career-ending knee injury on October 12, 2017, during the Eagles’ run to their first Super Bowl championship. The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act applies to professional athletes in all sports who suffer work-related injuries, subject to specific rules and benefit rates under Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law. These complex claims must be navigated in conjunction with the player’s contract, the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Players’ Union and team owners, and, in some cases, contractual relationships involving the professional sports league itself.
Maragos first consulted with the Chicago-based law firm Meyers & Flowers. Recognizing the need for experienced Pennsylvania workers’ compensation counsel and honoring Maragos’ request for an attorney outside the usual network, the Illinois firm identified Attorney Schmidt as an aggressive advocate for injured workers. Schmidt did not disappoint. He recovered more than $500,000 in settlement of the workers’ compensation claim, along with a period of weekly wage loss benefits and an extended period of medical treatment following the settlement.
Following the knee injury suffered during a game against the Carolina Panthers, Maragos began treatment with team physicians and later with multiple surgeons and medical specialists. Schmidt was provided with a substantial volume of medical records dating back to Maragos’ time with the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. Review of those records revealed multiple torn ligaments, although only one ligament was repaired during the initial surgical procedure. After surgery, Maragos was instructed to increase activity, which further injured unrepaired ligament damage. By December 2018, new physicians identified a failed procedure and the presence of a fragmented surgical screw.
Despite the severity of the injury and the need for multiple surgeries, the workers’ compensation claim was accepted as involving only a knee “sprain.” That characterization carried significant legal consequences. As a Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist, Attorney Schmidt filed a petition to secure a full and accurate description of the injuries. During litigation of that petition and while claims against medical providers were being investigated, Schmidt negotiated resolution of the workers’ compensation case. That settlement allowed Maragos and his personal injury counsel to focus their efforts on issues involving negligent medical treatment.
What’s Different About Schmidt, Kirifides, Rassias & Rio?
Schmidt, Kirifides, Rassias & Rio combines the experience and resources of a statewide workers’ compensation practice with direct partner involvement from the beginning of a claim. Founded in Delaware County PA in 1994, the firm has recovered more than $100 million in workers’ compensation benefits and helped over 5,000 injured workers and their families protect their income, medical care, and financial futures.
At SKRR, clients work directly with the partner responsible for their claim. That attorney knows the client’s story, medical condition, work status, wage-loss issues, and concerns about the future. Important decisions are not passed between departments, anonymous case managers, or lawyers unfamiliar with the claim. Clients receive direct answers, honest advice, and a consistent legal strategy from an accomplished attorney who remains personally involved.
The firm also has the resources to develop a claim properly. That includes obtaining complete medical and wage records, securing expert medical evidence, preparing for hearings, challenging denials and benefit interruptions, addressing delayed treatment or surgery, and evaluating the full medical and financial consequences of a proposed settlement. This preparation is valuable from the earliest days after an injury—especially when the injury requires ongoing treatment, causes missed work, or threatens the worker’s future income.
Every SKRR workers’ compensation partner is a Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist through the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Section on Workers’ Compensation Law, as authorized by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Fewer than 200 attorneys statewide hold this certification. Most law firms cannot claim this credential for even one attorney; all three of SKRR’s workers’ compensation partners have earned it.
That professional standing is reinforced by substantial peer, client, and community recognition. The firm’s partners have earned repeated selection to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list, and Founding and Managing Partner Mark R. Schmidt has also been named to the Pennsylvania Top 100 and Philadelphia Top 100 lists. The firm’s attorneys have earned AV Preeminent® Peer Rated status, Martindale-Hubbell® Client Champion Platinum recognition, and Avvo Clients’ Choice awards. The Delaware County Daily Times has repeatedly recognized SKRR among the region’s best workers’ compensation law firms for injured workers.
Injured workers should not have to choose between sophisticated legal representation and personal attention. Schmidt, Kirifides, Rassias & Rio provides both—giving every client the resources, preparation, and direct attorney involvement needed to protect a Pennsylvania workers’ compensation claim from day one.
If you are looking for a law firm prepared to handle any workers’ compensation claim with the attention and commitment it deserves, contact Schmidt, Kirifides, Rassias & Rio for a free consultation.