NFL settles brain injury lawsuit. “More than 4500 NFL football players and their families celebrate today as the National Football League consents to settle on a 765 million dollar lawsuit for withholding information about the negative effects of closed head injuries. The money won from the settlement will go to payment of medical bills for retired players and research on concussion related brain damage. $75 million of the total settlement will go to medical exams, $10 million to research, and $675 million to families of players who have sustained cognitive injury.
Over the past several years, many retired football players have come forward to attest to the negative effects of concussions and sports-related head injuries. These testimonies, combined with the increasing number of suicides and violence, were the catalyst for the lawsuit. The settlement was pushed forward due to the need for expedited medical attention necessary for so many of the ex-players. The retirees will not have to prove that their health issues were caused by head injury sustained during their time in the NFL; but compensation would be based on age and years in the league.
This movement toward a safer and more accountable football league is definitely a positive step. How will the medical and psychological communities respond to these developments? The future of brain injury and concussion treatment looks bright, starting with this settlement.”
