Clowney has $5m insurance policy

South Carolina defensive end and All-American Jadeveon Clowney has a $5 million insurance policy should he get injured in the 2013 season, it has been reported.

The policy – which will be paid out via the NCAA should anything go awry next season – will be paid for by family members, and protect against future . The cost is $30,000.

Reply to Charleston Post-Courier writer Daryl Slater’s report, Paul Myerberg of USA Today noted that the policy was the largest available to players.

The insurance company offering the policy is HCC, based in Cincinnati.

On South Carolina’s website, they said: “Student athletes can receive up to $5m in coverage, up from $4.4m in basketball and $3m in football.”

The NCAA says on its site: “This program will provide the student-athlete with the opportunity to protect against future loss of earnings as a professional athlete, due to a disabling injury or sickness that may occur during the collegiate career.”

It adds: “The condition of disability can be determined when the following criteria have been met: * The student-athlete’s disability results from an injury or sickness, * The student-athlete’s injury or sickness occurs while the policy is in force, * The student-athlete is under the regular care of a qualified physician, * The student-athlete is unable to engage in sporting activity at the professional level, * The applicable elimination period has elapsed, and * The student-athlete’s total disability prevents him or her from signing any employment contract with any professional team as a professional athlete in his or her sporting activity.”

However, the NCAA’s catastrophic injury program (one can only assume that a ‘catastrophic injury’ is one where a player doesn’t walk again)- as set out by the NCAA on its website – has said that the maximum benefit amount per covered accident for all benefits combined is $20m.

Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M has taken out a similar policy.

Clowney created waves earlier this off-season when there was talk of him perhaps sitting out the 2013 season because of the fact that a potential injury could derail his Top 10 draft pick hopes (and let’s face it, he’s the best pass-rusher in college football right now).