Alex McKinnon could receive as much as $10 million should he successfully sue the NRL and the Melbourne Storm, according to a leading sports lawyer .

Fairfax Media revealed on Thursday that McKinnon had sought legal advice and is considering taking action against Melbourne and the NRL after he was left wheelchair-bound following a spear tackle last year.

McKinnon – who was given a "job for life" – by the NRL has left his post at Newcastle, where he worked in a football and corporate role for a short time. He is now an NRL ambassador and continuing his business degree.

Tim Fuller, a sports lawyer with McInnes Wilson Lawyers and a former NRL player, said McKinnon could fetch about $10 million should he win his case.

"I don't think those figures are beyond the realms of possibility," Fuller said. "If they can quantify that with the right evidence, that is the sort of figure they would be aiming for.

"On face value this seems like a legitimate and valid cause of action, undoubtedly. There's no doubt there would be evidence to support that he would have been a member of a forward pack for an eight- to 10-year period. We're not talking about a fringe player. At a very young age he had established himself."

There will be no repeat of last year's Rise for Alex round, which last year saw more than $1.1 million raised for McKinnon. At McKinnon's request, the NRL has opted against dedicating a full round of matches to McKinnon. Instead, round 19 games will be dubbed the Men of League "heritage round" where funds will be raised for injured players, plus McKinnon, as the 23-year-old did not want to be the centre of fundraising by fans.

"Given the amazing support I received, it just wouldn't be right," McKinnon told NewsCorp.

"While I would give it all back in a heartbeat to have my old life back, I will never forget the support I received"

"But there are plenty of other players who need help also."

Fuller said McKinnon's legal team could argue the NRL did not act hastily enough to change the rule, they failed in their duty of care to protect players and subsequently, rules have been changed and are being administered correctly now.

"The lawyers will argue too little too late," Fuller said. "It's very much a case of being reactive instead of being proactive.

"Two years ago you could start to the see the damages of shoulder charges, dangerous throw or crusher tackles. All of these rules have changed in the past two years. Punching on the field [is another rule change]. Anybody who followed the sport could see problems these would create.

"The NRL failed to identify potential legal ramifications with this conduct. I have no doubt the legal team will be honing in on it if the NRL failed through its rules and environment to protect their players and discharged their duty of care."

Former Kiwi international Jarrod McCracken successfully sued Melbourne and players Stephen Kearney and Marcus Bai after having his career cut short by a spear tackle. McCracken was awarded $97,000 in 2006.

Fuller said the McCracken incident was a different situation.

"Jarrod was at the end of his career," Fuller said. "It cut short his career but it's a different context.

"However, you could look at that case and it has aspects of a precedent which could be used in this claim."

Brisbane coach Wayne Bennett will reach out to McKinnon. Bennett was McKinnon's coach when the injury occurred against Melbourne last year.

"It's Alex's call," Bennett said. "It's got nothing to do with me. It's up to him. I'd have to speak to him to find out what's really going on. It's his prerogative." Bennett said the game will "have to be" equipped to deal with compensation claims.

"I'm not smart enough about criminal law and personal law to make a real comment on that," Bennett said when asked if players should be able to sue for on-field incidents. "Alex is entitled to his rights, the NRL is entitled to their rights. If someone has to decide who is liable for what, that's fair enough."

Key Questions

How McKinnon can win the case:

If his lawyers argue the tackle inflicted upon McKinnon was so far against the rules and that it created a liability in the circumstances. They may argue the particular tackling techniques employed by the Storm were so far against the rules that it could cause likely damage. They could argue the NRL did not take enough measures to stamp out dangerous throws.

Why he could lose:

Will not be able to prove that what the players did was so far removed from the circumstances. There is a voluntary acceptance and a fair degree of risk when you sign up to play a collision sport.

What figure could he receive and how is it worked up?

About $10 million. Most of it goes to future care and often people in McKinnon's situation need full-time care, a modified house and car. Generally speaking, if he was a 23-year-old rugby league player – who could have earned about $400,000 a year for the next 10 years – that would come into account.

Would he get more money because he was a professional athlete?

It gets factored into the overall damages. What he would have earned if not for the injury.