Posted on 07/08/2014 7:15:38 AM PDT by PoloSec
A federal judge has approved a settlement that would see thousands of former US football players compensated for concussion-related injuries.
The ruling comes nearly two weeks after the National Football League (NFL) agreed to remove a cap on compensation for players who say the league hid the dangers of head trauma.
More than 4,500 former players had sued the league, initially reaching a $765m (£490m) settlement last August.
That deal was rejected in January.
On Monday, Judge Anita Brody granted preliminary approval to a new deal removing a $675m cap on damages.
She had previously rejected a settlement deal, doubting the capped compensation could cover 20,000 now-retired players.
"This is an extraordinary settlement for retired NFL players and their families - from those who suffer with neuro-cognitive illnesses today, to those who are currently healthy but fear they may develop symptoms decades into the future," plaintiffs' lawyers Sol Weiss and Christopher Seeger wrote in a statement. Neurological symptoms
A revised settlement agreement filed in Judge Brody's federal district court in Philadelphia on 25 June also removes a provision barring anyone who receives concussion-related damages from suing amateur football leagues.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Ticket prices are going to increase dramatically. It seems everybody is somehow a “victim” these days. What’s next, lawsuits and compensation for every torn ligament and sprained ankle? Where does it end?
Bankrupt the tax exempt NFL. The league is dead to me.
It ends when reasonable people look at professional sports and realize how much time, money, and emotion they are wasting on watching tools of the globalist ruling elite play games and allowing themselves to be distracted from issues that really matter.
Starve the Beast.
reparations for victim’s Ticket holders are paying for this, but non fan’s will be paying for it as well thru advertising dollars spent supporting these poor souls games.
I think sports could be in trouble, from the standpoint of how expensive tickets to games have gotten.
Professional sports have been catering to the corporate/yuppie types for years now. There are reasons for that, in terms of skyrocketing players salaries and other costs of doing business.
But, for whatever reason, average middle class people just don’t attend as many games because they can’t afford to do so.
So, sports are in trouble, if the corporate types ever decide that season tickets and luxury suite rentals don’t fit into their corporate budgets or corporate ways of doing business anymore.
Who is going to buy those tickets at inflated prices? Who is going to rent luxury suites if corporations decided to pull out of such arrangements????
Do the math:
675 mil, divided by 20,000 players = avg payout of $33,750 per player.
I’m sure that the payout will be weighted. More serious cases will get a higher payout. But it still doesn’t seem like a lot of money.
Meanwhile the game I love is turning into a non-contact passing drill complete with pink uniform accessories.
Our legal system is really not about justice. It's an industry.
No they won’t, by the NFL’s budget this is a negligible amount of money. They haul down $9 billion a year in TV contracts alone. $600 million spread over 10 years is nothing, they’ll probably spend more than that on hospitality for the owners meetings during the same time frame.
The players that were involved in the suit that spoke about it said the goal really wasn’t a wad of cash, it was getting the NFL to put brain damage from concussions under the game related injury umbrella which gets them access to a lot of medical treatment. The league had been avoiding that because they’d been insisting for years there were no long term side effects to concussions. The actual dollar value is meaningless, the important part is now brain damage is considered just like knee damage, covered as part of the retired player package.
......was going in a bar in Austin a couple years or so back and bumped into Earl Campbell. Or, I should say I stopped and waited for him to step up two stairs then walk very slowly a few feet and step up two more. Admiring the guy like I do it was a painful thing to watch.
I don’t know if the alleged average cut of $33,000 odd dollars is even going to Earl but if it is it is a totally insignificant sum of money compared to what football has done to him physically.
Yes, I know it’s voluntary and I played the game and my son played the game and probably most freepers played the game. But, say what you will, the game, particularly on the collegiate and pro level causes life time severe injuries. That’s an unarguable fact and nothing is going to change that fact except “shut er down” which some think is where the game is headed. Many junior highs are already cancelling the game. Some high school will soon. Will that start the dominoes falling?
I have had NFL season tickets for just under 20 years now. Your comment above is dead, solid 100% INCORRECT. In fact, I'm always amazed (given the prices charged) how many, many lower middle class people I see at the games.
Anybody who plays football is vulnerable to head and neck injuries. The NFL just has the deep pockets.
Class warfare?? This reads like it belongs on DU.
Class warfare?? This reads like it belongs on DU.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
If you haven’t been aware of the growth of the wealth of the Liberal ultra-rich via the manipulation of Big Government at all levels, all at the expense of the predominately Conservative middle class, then you haven’t been paying attention.
Absolutely nothing DU about my comment. Zero. Try to keep up.
Well, my experience of people I know is that they don’t attend as many games as they used to. Sounds like your experience has been different.
Thanks. That makes more sense. However, if the dollar amount didn't really matter, then why not put a lot more of the settlement into research or a medical fund etc.?
Interestingly, soccer has similar issues.
Personally, although baseball is dwindling in enthusiasm among kids, it's still in my view the best choice for a sport that allows you to generally stay healthy. Great perks too. Go to Florida or Arizona in the late winter for ‘spring’ training. You don't play in bad weather except for those early spring games when it's cold and the bat stings in your hands. You get to sit down in the dugout and watch for half of each game (excluding your at bats and time on the base paths). If you're a pitcher you only pitch every 3-4 days at most (unless you're a reliever). Unless you play in the World Series you're off from late September until probably February. If you can throw a knuckleball you can possibly play until you're 50 (or possibly beyond). etc. etc.
They still want money for treatment. Research money is really a PR move, nobody really thinks the NFL throwing money at research will suddenly fix concussions, but it looks good, helps assuage parents who might think of not letting jr play football. The retired players though want post concussion depression handled the same way as their knee injuries.
I was a pro football running back in my former life and have a vague recall of intense and recurring headaches. Where do I go to collect my share?
I would (somewhat) agree with you for baseball.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.