The NFL was originally ordered to pay $765 million to current and former players dealing with concussions, but a Philadelphia judge has put a halt to that agreement. Now the league could be on the hook for even more.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Anita Brody temporarily denied the NFL and players' settlement, saying "I am primarily concerned that not all Retired NFL Football Players who ultimately receive a Qualifying Diagnosis or their related claimants will be paid." (Via Scribd / Darren AdamHeitner)
Last August, the NFL agreed to pay 4,500 players and their families $765 million after players claimed the league didn't do enough to prevent concussions and withheld knowledge about the dangers of them. The New York Times wrote in August, "Assuming Judge Brody signs off, the deal could take about 180 days for the players to start receiving compensation..."
Concussions in sports have received more and more attention over the years —
— especially after a string of NFL players' suicides. In a handful of cases, studies revealed some of those players were suffering from long-term brain injuries related to concussions sustained from playing in the NFL. (ViaPBS) (Via Yahoo!) (Via ESPN)
Court documents state the settlement could affect 20,000 people and Judge Brody doesn't believe the settlement would be able to cover all former and current players.
"She says even if only 10 percent of them are eventually diagnosed with medical problems covered by the settlement, it's difficult to see how the fund could cover them all." (Via MSNBC)
Sports Illustrated highlights how those families and players would be compensated — saying the documents calls for players diagnosed with Level 1 Neurocognitive Impairment to get $1.5 million. Players with Level 2 get $3 million. Those diagnosed with Alzheimer's or Parkinson's were set to receive $3.5 million, $5 million would go for those with ALS also known as Lou Gehrig's disease and $4 million for players who died with CTE.
Judge Brody also said she wants more documentation about the extent of the head injuries. NBC Sports analyst and former NFL quarterback Shaun King agrees with the judge's decision.
"You think 765 is a big number, but when you divide that among 32 teams and then each team has 20 years to pay off that divided number? ... To me, this settlement is hush money." (Via NBC Sports)
Judge Brody did not give a timetable as to when this matter could be settled.
