Outliers: Broward Health throws big bucks at Dolphins QB

It seems Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill plans to be an orthopedic surgeon one day, and this year he's getting the chance to dabble in the field—without even having to finish med school.

Tannehill will be the public face of Broward Health's orthopedics and sports medicine program for the next three years under a new celebrity endorsement deal with the South Florida healthcare system. The gig even had Tannehill, a former pre-med major at Texas A&M University, donning a personalized white lab coat and observing a hip scope procedure at a Fort Lauderdale clinic.

But some have questioned whether a public health system should be paying for celebrity endorsements at all. Especially for a Dolphins QB who last year signed a four-year contract worth more than $12 million.

Sun Sentinel columnist Michael Mayo reported last week that the endorsement deal—which was unveiled in a February news conference at Broward Health—is costing the tax-supported health system $331,000. The contract to hire the second-year quarterback did not require approval from the publicly appointed North Broward Hospital District board of commissioners.

Mayo wrote that while the $331,000 pales in comparison to the system's $1.1 billion budget—which includes $150 million from taxes—the contract may still not be a prudent use of money “considering that no other tax-assisted hospital district in South Florida pays for celebrity endorsements.”

But a spokeswoman says Broward Health sees the deal as a way to boost profitability, noting that it provides $210 million annually in uncompensated care. “We're in a very competitive market. … Contracting with Ryan Tannehill makes good business sense for marketing our excellent orthopedic services.” The system estimates the exposure it will get from the deal will far exceed what it's paying the gridiron star.