Louisiana legislator pulls NFLPA-opposed workers' comp bill

The New Orleans Saints went 11-5 last season before losing to the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Rep. Chris Broadwater, the Louisiana state legislator who had introduced a controversial workers' compensation bill opposed by the NFLPA, has decided to pull the legislation, saying he feels it is best to let the players and Saints' ownership come to an agreement on their own, according to Emily Lane of The Times-Picayune.

"My feeling is that both sides were trying to work on finding a solution in waning days in session, and rather than with clock ticking, the best thing to do for everyone was for me to just defer the bill right now and trust that the two parties will continue to work together to find a solution."

Broadwater sponsored the bill, which was supported by the Saints' owner Tom Benson, and would have adjusted how workers' compensation was calculated for professional athletes so that players hurt during the offseason would have been entitled to substantially less money. Players receive the bulk of their pay during the NFL's 17-week season, and had voiced strong opposition to the bill's passage.

KING: NFL painkiller lawsuit problems, plus Ray Rice-Janay Rice questions