NFL Coughs Up $765M For Ex-Players' Concussion Settlement [SEE COURT DOCUMENTS]
The National Football League (NFL) and thousands of ex-football players have finally reached a settlement after 2 months of "intensive negotiations."
News broke after the NFL posted this tweet about the litigation:
Settlement reached in concussion litigation: http://t.co/obFkj7CNii
— NFL (@nfl) August 29, 2013
In a press release through ESPN, the NFL will reportedly be paying a whopping $765 million dollars worth of compensation for concussion-related injuries - $75 million of which would go to baseline medical exams and $10 million for program of medical research for retired players and their families. The league has also agreed to pay legal fees for the plaintiff's lawyers.
The settlement was said to be limited not only to the plaintiffs but also to eligible retired players who need not to prove their health issues came from concussions during their time in the NFL.
"This is a historic agreement, one that will make sure that former NFL players who need and deserve compensation will receive it, and that will promote safety for players at all levels of football. Rather than litigate literally thousands of complex individual claims over many years, the parties have reached an agreement that, if approved, will provide relief and support where it is needed at a time when it is most needed," court-appointed mediator and former U.S. District Judge Layn Phillips said in a statement.
Judge Anita B. Brody, U.S. District Court Judge from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, has yet to approve the settlement. Once Brody has approved the settlement, it will take up to 180 days before the players can receive the said compensation.
The agreement was not an affirmation that the league hid information or did what the plaintiffs claimed in their complaint.
Among the plaintiffs included Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett, quarterback Jim McMahon and former fullback Kevin Turner.
See the copy of the concussion litigation between the NFL and more than 4,500 retired football players here.