A federal judge has rejected last year’s $675 million dollar concussion settlement between the NFL and former players that were suing the league for head-related injuries.
In an opinion released Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Anita Brody raised concerns that the $675 million the NFL agreed to set aside might be inadequate to cover claims from roughly 20,000 eligible former players, family members and their representatives.
She requested that both sides provide her with more information on how they arrived at that figure.
The ruling comes a week after lawyers for the retired players and the NFL released a detailed look at how the total $760 million settlement would be distributed.
This was always a concern of mine. Compared to the money the league and the owners make this settlement amount is a drop in the bucket.
$675 million sounds like a lot until the thousands and thousands of claims start rolling in. Lawyers looking for a pay day have even been poaching former players who may not be severely injured, which takes away from the players that really need it.
I hope this requires everyone to go back to the table and come up with a number that’s fair.