Ex-Players Claim NFL Is Rigging Its Concussion Settlement

Only 156 former National Football League players who’ve submitted medical claims under a settlement agreement in their January 2017 class-action lawsuit on concussions have been paid, Deadspin reports. The league estimated that 665 would be paid at this point. In a court filing, an ex-players group says that only six of 1,113 dementia claims have been paid out, with conditions like Alzheimer’s and ALS getting higher payout rates. “The NFL seeks to rig the settlement system. This is part of the League’s DNA,” attorney Gene Locks wrote in a motion filed on behalf of 1,100 players in the case. With a total of 1,712 claims waiting for review, the court filing outlines a “system with the odds deeply stacked against former players.” The NFL has denied 20 percent of all claims, and asked about half to be audited, according to the documents. The appeals advisory panel is “too small and underpaid to review claims efficiently,” and some claims are sent into a “black hole” when they’re audited, according to the motion.