Only half of eligible players sign up for NFL concussion settlement
Listen
Attorney Chris Seeger (center) says some younger players eligible for part of the $1 billion settlement with the NFL believe they don't need help — although it may take years for the illnesses covered in the payouts to emerge. (AP file photo)
Thousands and thousands of former NFL players are registering to get payments from settlement of a class-action suit over concussion-related injuries.
Nearly 10,000 former National Football League players, their families, or their legal representatives have registered to collect from the $1 billion settlement. The deal was hammered out in a Philadelphia federal courtroom. Though half the eligible players have signed up, attorney Chris Seeger said, some are refusing to do so.”I’ve got a number of recently retired players saying, ‘I’m fine, I don’t need this program,'” Seeger said.
Former players must sign up before mid-August and will not be able to opt in later when symptoms start appearing.”It may take 10 or 20 years for the effects to come into play,” Seeger said. “There are guys being diagnosed in their 40s, 50s and 60s with dementia, Alzheimer’s, ALS, Parkinson’s — the compensible injuries in the settlement.”As many as 20,000 former players could eventually claim a share of the settlement.
WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.