A US federal appeals court confirms a concussion settlement between NFL and its retired players. The concussion settlement could cost NFL nearly $1 billion to cover 20,000 players who are experiencing cognitive and neurological issues after their football career.
The revised concussion settlement filed by former NFL players was released Monday by the court. If there are no more rehearings, the deal will go into effect in just a few weeks. Although there were objections to the settlement, the judges cast them aside as the deal allegedly mostly benefits the retired NFL players.
"This settlement will provide nearly $1 billion in value to the class of retired players," the judges said, as reported by New York Times. "It is a testament to the players, researchers and advocates who have worked to expose the true human costs of a sport so many love. Though not perfect, it is fair."
Court upholds $1billion #concussion settlement against NFL. @BBCWorld https://t.co/Mbl7vHbIq5
— Reidar P. Lystad (@RLystad) April 19, 2016
According to ESPN, retired NFL players who have developed brain injuries due to repetitive concussions could get the benefits within several months. The NFL concussion settlement could resolve thousands of lawsuits and pay more than 20,000 former players in the next six decades. Additionally, NFL estimates that more than 5,000 football players could be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or modern dementia. USA Today adds that more than 7,000 retired players are looking to enroll for the concussion settlement even though it won't be released until after the process is completed.
The Times reports that a majority of retired players is supportive of the deal as only 1 % opted out of the concussion settlement. However, some weren't so happy with the decision. According to Steven Molo, lead counsel for retired players who sued the NFL, the concussion settlement should apply to all players diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE in their lifetime. CTE is a progressive brain degenerative brain disease brought about by repeated head trauma.
The outlet says that the deal only includes players who were found with CTE before the concussion settlement was approved last year. Therefore, those who that were diagnosed with CTE and other brain diseases, including ALS, Alzheimer's disease, severe dementia and Parkinsons disease can get cash payments of up to $5 million. However, the payment is dependent upon the players' number of years in the league and their age.
