A senior district judge is set to approve a plan presented by lawyers for 4,500 former National Football League players for a proposed settlement of $765 million for concussion-related claims, the Associated Press reported.
The settlement will reap maximum awards for players under 45 who need more lifetime care, and could reach $5 million for athletes suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease, the AP reported.
District Judge Anita Brody of Philadelphia will hold a fairness hearing later in the year and must still approve the plan, the AP reported.
Case mediator and former judge Layn R. Phillips of California, reported the settlement as "fair," pointing out that NFL players might have had their cases thrown out, and the League might have been forced to release any internal documents about the consequences of playing after a concussion they might have, the AP reported.
Some of the plaintiffs are Kevin Turner, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots and is now battling Lou Gehrig's disease which attacks the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, the AP reported.
"The compensation provided in this settlement will lift a heavy (financial) burden off of the men who are suffering," Turner said. Adding that he hopes the case will allow future NFL player to "not suffer the way that many in my generation have," the AP reported.
The payout plan also states a 60 something retired NFL player can received $3 million and an 80-year-old who is suffering from dementia would receive $25,000, according to the AP.
Many of the player filing the suit, like former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett, have accused the NFL for fraudulently handling their concussion cases, the AP reported. Medical factors and other issues, like whether the players suffered any injuries outside the NFL, will be taken into consideration on whether players would receive settlements.
"This is an extraordinary settlement for retired NFL players and their families - from those who suffer with severe neurocognitive illnesses today, to those who are currently healthy but fear they may develop symptoms decades into the future," lawyers Christopher Seeger and Sol Weiss said in a statement, the AP reported.
Players filing suit will be asked to share medical records with researchers who will study the brain injuries of football players, according to court papers filed on Monday, the AP reported.
The total settlement would be made up of $675 million in compensation claims, $75 million for baseline testing for asymptomatic men and $10 million for medical research and education. An extra $112 million will be used to cover lawyer feed, totalling a payout of $900 million, the AP reported.
"We of course support plaintiffs' motions, and will await further direction from Judge Brody," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
The total settlement would include $675 million for compensatory claims, for players with neurological symptoms; $75 million for baseline testing for asymptomatic men; and $10 million for medical research and education. The NFL would also pay an additional $112 million to the players' lawyers for their fees and expenses, for a total payout of nearly $900 million.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league will "support plaintiffs' motions, and will await further direction from Judge Brody," the AP reported.
