NFL Settles Concussion Lawsuit For $765 Million
The NFL and 4,500 former players reached a settlement for $765 million according to court papers released Thursday. The former players sued the NFL, accusing it of hiding the dangers of brain injury while making money off of the sports violent nature. The money will provide medical benefits and injury compensation for retired NFL players, as well as fund medical and safety research and cover the litigation expenses.
Believe it or not this isn’t actually only a victory for the former players but it’s also a victory for the NFL. Rumors swirling about this situation claimed that the settlement could have plummeted the NFL into bankruptcy. However, the $765 million appears to be very affordable for the league.
The final hurdle in the deal is the approval of United States District Judge Anita Brody. Once she approves the settlement it will officially be a done deal. This is something that could have dragged out for many years if it had decided to hear each case individually. But the league made the smart decision and settled on a number that everyone involved can now be happy with.
The only thing left for the league to do is to try and keep making the game safer. I fully believe that although they will never make the game completely safe because the men playing it will only keep getting bigger, faster and stronger; it can take some steps in the right direction. I just hope that by making the game safer, we don’t lose the integrity and nature of the game. Hitting is part of it, guys are going to get hurt. Sometimes, even though it’s unfortunate, there is nothing you can do to fully prevent it.
