ALBANY — The New England Patriots season is off to a 1-6 start but the once-great franchise isn’t just feeling pain on the field.
New York is trying to extract a $24,000 fine from the team for reportedly not carrying workers’ compensation insurance in New York for more than a year. The Workers Compensation Board has asked for a court judgment against the NFL team.
The board says the team has a New York payroll. Under state law, out-of-state employers with employees or subcontractors working in New York are required to carry a state workers’ compensation insurance policy.
The Patriots are based in Foxboro, Mass., but the team travels to New York each year to play the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park. The board was unable to say if the employees who required coverage were full-time workers in New York.
In a September legal filing asking a state Supreme Court justice to enter a judgment against the team, a lawyer for the state board wrote the Patriots' insurance was found in arrears during a “review of the file which is maintained by the Workers' Compensation Board in its regular course of business.”
A spokeswoman for the compensation board said it received information from the state Department of Labor on Feb. 18, 2023, indicating the team has a New York payroll. The team was fined for not having the required workers' compensation insurance during the 16 months.
“According to board records, they remain out of compliance today,” she said.
So far, the Patriots had not responded to a request for comment.
The Patriots will play the Bills on Dec. 22 in Highmark Stadium.
The Patriots for years tormented Buffalo and most other NFL teams, winning six Super Bowls between 2002 and 2019. But future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady left the team after its last Super Bowl win and coach Bill Belichick exited in January. The team was last in the playoffs Jan. 15, 2021, when they lost 47-17 to the Bills in the wild card.
In a document labeled “FINAL NOTICE,” the judgment unit of the workers’ compensation board says the NFL team owes the money for failing to carry workers’ compensation between June 1, 2023, and Sept. 22.
