NFL Concussion Settlement: A Landmark Agreement for Former Players (2024)
The NFL has reached a groundbreaking settlement, agreeing to pay over three-quarters of a billion dollars to thousands of former players who developed dementia or other concussion-related health problems. These players claim that their conditions were caused by the on-field violence that contributed to the game's rise in popularity and profit.
The Settlement Details
The settlement, which is subject to approval by a federal judge, comes after two months of court-ordered mediation. It removes a major legal and financial threat that has loomed over the sport for the past two years. U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody in Philadelphia is expected to rule on the settlement in the coming months .
Under the terms of the settlement, more than 4,500 former players, including those suffering from Alzheimer's disease, depression, and other neurological ailments, will be eligible for compensation. The settlement applies to all past NFL players and the spouses of deceased players, potentially benefiting more than 20,000 individuals. The league will pay a total of $765 million, with the majority going towards compensating retirees with certain neurological ailments. Additionally, $75 million will be allocated for medical exams and $10 million for medical research.
Allegations Against the NFL
Former players accused the NFL of concealing the long-term dangers of concussions and rushing injured players back onto the field. They argued that the league profited from the bone-crushing hits that were often glorified and replayed in slow motion on NFL Films. The settlement does not include an admission of guilt from the NFL regarding the alleged concealment of information about head injuries.
Individual Payouts and Eligibility
Individual payouts under the settlement will be capped at $5 million for men with Alzheimer's disease, $4 million for those diagnosed posthumously with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), and $3 million for players with dementia. All former NFL players, regardless of whether they suffered a documented concussion or not, are eligible to seek care, screening, or compensation. The amount received will be based on factors such as age, condition, and years of play. The settlement is expected to cover the ex-athletes' expenses up to age 65.
Reactions and Future Implications
The settlement has received mixed reactions. Some former players, like Tony Dorsett and Jim McMahon, who suffer from dementia, have expressed relief and satisfaction with the outcome. They believe the settlement will provide much-needed financial support for medical expenses and improve the quality of life for retired players. However, others have expressed concerns about the details of the settlement and the potential long-term implications for the game of football.
The lawsuits and growing awareness of the long-term effects of concussions have already led to changes in the way the game is played and managed. The NFL has implemented rule changes to protect players, prevent athletes with concussions from returning to action prematurely, and eliminate hits to the head and neck. The league has also invested in research and development of better helmets .
Conclusion
The NFL's settlement with former players over concussion-related health problems marks a significant milestone in the ongoing conversation about player safety and the long-term effects of football-related injuries. While the settlement provides financial compensation and support for affected individuals, it does not include an admission of guilt from the NFL. The impact of this settlement on the future of the sport and the ongoing efforts to improve player safety remains to be seen .
The Post identified 14 players who failed to get settlement money or medical care, then died and had CTE confirmed via autopsy. Among them: trailblazing sports broadcaster Irv Cross, Hall of Fame defensive end Claude Humphrey and Super Bowl VII MVP Jake Scott.
While the NFL admitted no wrongdoing, it promised to pay every former player who developed dementia or several brain diseases linked to concussions. Players suffering from CTE, the league pledged, also would get paid once they developed symptoms of dementia.
A medical expert for insurers battling the NFL over liability for player concussions — a settlement currently worth $1.2 billion and growing — suggested that up to 40% of the now 1,663 former players who have received payments may have overstated and even feigned their symptoms.
Players blamed a long list of health problems on their NFL careers, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS. But the main reason they sued was CTE, the once-obscure disease that had been discovered in the brains of dozens of former NFL players.
Hundreds of players have been posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease that has been linked to football. As these issues continued, the NFL agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by more than 4,500 players alleging that the league dismissed the true dangers of CTE.
A common definitive test currently can be made only by examining the brain tissue of a deceased victim. 345 of 376 NFL players whose brains have been autopsied had CTE.
Players returning from a concussion must be cleared by their team's physician as well as the independent neurological consultant (INC). Every NFL team is required to have at least one INC, who is a board-certified physician with expertise in head trauma.
Did it train its football players to tackle with their heads, knowing that players would then become more susceptible to concussions and brain injuries? These and other concerns formed the basis of the first class action lawsuit brought against the NFL for concussions and other head injuries.
Brett Favre, who played as a prolific quarterback with the Packers, Jets, and Vikings, estimated that he had suffered at least 1,000 concussions over his 20-year NFL career.
Pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and other types of non-economic damages can be much more difficult to calculate because they're so subjective. Generally speaking, the average settlement for a whiplash and a concussion or whiplash personal injury case is between $20,000 and $200,000.
How Much Compensation Will I Get For A Concussion Case? The average value of a personal injury lawsuit involving a concussion is between $20,000 to $80,000. The more severe concussion injury cases (those involving continuing complications) may have an average settlement value of $125,000 or more.
An Injury Settlement is usually based on the amount of time that the team and player agree the player will be unable to play. So, for example, if the player is only expected to miss the first month of the season, the team and player will usually agree to a settlement of 4/17ths of the player's scheduled base salary.
Question: When former NFL players sued the NFL in 2012, the lawsuit was settled out of court. In the settlement, the NFLadmitted liability but refused to pay players with permanent head injuries. admitted no liability and kept secret all its research on concussions.
How did Troy Aikman's concussion affect his memory? He lost his short term memory. When he went to the hospital for his concussion he couldn't remembered the game or why he was there. 6.
Omalu and his co-authors beat the attempt at retraction. Instead, Neurosurgery published Omalu's second paper, which found CTE in the brain of former Steelers offensive lineman Terry Long. But the NFL continued to attack Omalu's work, saying “it's not appropriate science” and that his work was “purely speculative.”
The movie 'Concussion', released in February this year, tells the story of Dr Bennet Omalu and his battle against the National Football League (NFL). Omalu, a Nigerian-born American pathologist, identified severe neurodegeneration in the brains of former football players.
Researchers are learning that genetics can impact a person's susceptibility to brain injury. An identical blow to the head can cause a concussion in one person and not in another, McAllister said. Other people may develop a concussion from repetitive small impacts rather than one major whack.
Of the more than 350 former National Football League (NFL) players who were studied an average of 29 years after their playing careers ended, those who reported experiencing concussion symptoms during their careers scored worse on assessments of episodic memory, sustained attention, processing speed, and vocabulary.
The symptoms of a concussion can be subtle and may not occur right away. Symptoms can last for days, weeks or even longer. Common symptoms after a mild traumatic brain injury are headache, confusion and loss of memory, known as amnesia.
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