According to AOL Jobs, two newly released reports furnished to them by organizations representing former players and commissioned by the NFL state that nearly 19 percent of the NFL's 19,400 retired players are expected to develop "compensable injuries," Alzheimer's disease or at least moderate dementia at some point in their lives.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Nearly a third of former NFL players will likely develop some form of debilitating brain condition. They'll develop them earlier than most. And they'll suffer brain trauma at a rate "nearly 200 times that observed in the general population."
The NFL front office didn't announce this news. In fact, the NFL disputes it vehemently.
Let that sink in as well.
Buried in this past week's mélange of NFL domestic violence news regarding Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Greg Hardy and Ray McDonald, new findings on brain damage in former NFL players were released and subsequently ignored.
Attorneys representing former players suing the NFL in an ongoing class action lawsuit hired an actuarial firm that developed these numbers, the intent being to see whether the proposed $760 million settlement would come anywhere close to paying off the claims of all former players over the next 65 years.
And according to the report, not even a shorter career will save players from facing these horrible truths, as "60 percent of all players estimated to receive compensation have fewer than the five years [playing history] needed to receive the maximum monetary award."
"This report paints a startling picture of how prevalent neurocognitive diseases are among retired NFL players, and underscores why class members should immediately register for this settlement's benefits. The settlement ensures that retired players suffering from a qualifying condition will receive the compensation they need quickly, and the now-uncapped monetary award program guarantees all eligible claims over the next 65 years will be paid regardless of total cost," lead counsel for the retired player plaintiffs said.
The NFL, for its part, responded via Brad Karp, the chair of the law firm which acts as the league's legal counsel: "The reports over the weekend were inaccurate and reflected a fundamental misunderstanding of the role of actuaries and the purpose and nature of the actuarial reports that were released."
