News: DMN: Settlement worth $765 million being considered in concussion case featuring Tony Dorsett,...

[NewsBot]

*** Message was removed by demand from DMN ***

 

[WoodysGirl]

Andrew Brandt ‏@adbrandt 28m
$765M settlement is for medical exams, concussion-related compensation & program of medical research for retirees
Here is the order from Judge Brody: http://www.scribd.com/doc/164000823/NFL-Concussion-Litigation-Settlement…
Judge Brody ordered mediation earlier this summer, must have felt chance for settlement. Both sides realized time required to litigate.
NFL should be protected from future suits by retirees. Current players have more obstacles with more knowledge, measures taken.
Remember, in rush to declare NFL victory, there may have been causation issues for retirees, and would have taken yrs to litigate.

darren rovell ‏@darrenrovell 17m
AP: Federal judge says NFL and concussion plaintiffs are looking into a proposal that provides for a $765 million settlement
Compensation alone in concussion settlement is $675M, which would equal about $150,000 per player.
Craziest part of proposed $765M NFL concussion settlement: 17-year payment plan. $382.5M in 1st 3 years, then $27.3M/yr for next 14.
Once NFL concussion settlement gets approved, franchise values will jump even more. Some potential owners shied away on damage speculation.

Albert Breer ‏@AlbertBreer 9m
The press release also has it in there that NFL doesn't not admit liability or that injuries were caused by football.
The judge has also requested that both sides make no comment on the matter beyond what's in the written statements.

daniel kaplan ‏@dkaplanSBJ 11m
NFL GC Jeff Pash:We thought it was critical 2 get more help 2 players and families...rather than spend many years and millions on litigation

 

[onlyonenow]

Smart move for both sides. This could have dragged on for years in court. And despite their claims, the players would have a hard time proving that they could not have known about the dangers of their sport.

 

[WoodysGirl]

Peter King ‏@SI_PeterKing 1m
Two bits of clarification: Atty's fees NOT included in the $765m. So NFL's bill could go $200m higher. And ...
... And every player can petition for baseline testing and money from the $675m compensation pool, not just the 4,500 litigants.
Final bill for the league should be $950m-$1.05 billion, including legal fees.

 

[RS12]

Ball park 25 mill per team, pocket change. Nothing can stop nfl money machine.

 

[Flinger]

When I started my career 36 years ago, I was forced to used a computer monitor as a computer programmer - and, a keyboard.... Now, I need glasses to read and my wrists hurt.

Think I could sue my employer for $150,000? Afterall, they made me do it.

I worked for ARCO my first 22, then J&J the next 10 years. They have deep pockets... oh... wait... BP bought ARCO... A BIGGER fish to sue!

Nowhere but the good ol USA...

Wonder who's going to pay for that $765M?

 

[BoysFan4ever]

I'm sure the cost will be passed on to the paying customers.

 

[conner01]

now you understand why the nfl passes rules to protect players. fans don't like it, players don't like it, but those very same players who complain everytime the nfl tries to make the game safer will be wanting the nfl to show them the money when they retire

 

[17yearsandcounting]

Attention future NFL players:

Violently colliding with other grown men is bad for your health.

 

[conner01]

I'm sure the cost will be passed on to the paying customers.

what could be interesting is if it is applied to football revenue. if so then it would have an impact of the salary cap. a billion dollars is a bunch of money

 

[onlyonenow]

Attention future NFL players:

Violently colliding with other grown men is bad for your health.

No, REALLY?

 

[cowboys2233]

Peter King ‏@SI_PeterKing 1m
Two bits of clarification: Atty's fees NOT included in the $765m. So NFL's bill could go $200m higher. And ...
... And every player can petition for baseline testing and money from the $675m compensation pool, not just the 4,500 litigants.
Final bill for the league should be $950m-$1.05 billion, including legal fees.

Frankly, if the players accept this deal, I think the NFL would be doing cartwheels because they are getting off incredibly light. $150,000 per player? If (and I realize it's a BIG if) all of these players are actually dealing with brain trauma issues, $150,000 won't mean diddly, especially when paid out over 17 years. It sounds like a lot of money, but medical bills for such significant treatment issues would skyrocket past that in about ten seconds. Of course, if many of these players are just looking for a money grab, then it's not too bad! I realize that some of you think that it should have been obvious to the players that they were doing irreparable harm to their brains but I strongly disagree. If you have doctors telling you that you have fully recovered, you place a certain degree of trust in their knowledge and skill. And if there is proof that the NFL deliberately withheld information that could have prevented some of this? Well, then we're talking a whole new ballgame.

 

[BoysFan4ever]

what could be interesting is if it is applied to football revenue. if so then it would have an impact of the salary cap. a billion dollars is a bunch of money

True. I was thinking more simply. They'll just raise ticket prices, concessions, etc.

The fans ultimately are the ones always paying.

 

[cowboys2233]

now you understand why the nfl passes rules to protect players. fans don't like it, players don't like it, but those very same players who complain everytime the nfl tries to make the game safer will be wanting the nfl to show them the money when they retire

Yes, and make no mistake about it, as much as the NFL says they're doing it to protect the players, it is FAR more about protecting their wallets from future lawsuits. The more groundwork they can lay that shows that they were doing everything possible to prevent player injury, the less likely it is that future players will be successful in lawsuits. And of course, the integrity of the sport itself is going to suffer greatly because owners are far more willing to change the game if it means saving them money down the road. Unless they find a way to significantly reduce concussions due to head blows through the design of helmets, etc. this game could look far different than it does today. No three point stances, no kickoffs, etc.

 

[onlyonenow]

Frankly, if the players accept this deal, I think the NFL would be doing cartwheels because they are getting off incredibly light. $150,000 per player? If (and I realize it's a BIG if) all of these players are actually dealing with brain trauma issues, $150,000 won't mean diddly, especially when paid out over 17 years. It sounds like a lot of money, but medical bills for such significant treatment issues would skyrocket past that in about ten seconds. Of course, if many of these players are just looking for a money grab, then it's not too bad! I realize that some of you think that it should have been obvious to the players that they were doing irreparable harm to their brains but I strongly disagree. If you have doctors telling you that you have fully recovered, you place a certain degree of trust in their knowledge and skill. And if there is proof that the NFL deliberately withheld information that could have prevented some of this? Well, then we're talking a whole new ballgame.

1) there is still debate among the experts about this today. So the NFL players would have a hard time proving much beyond 5 years ago frankly.

2) proof NFL held back WHAT? No proof of anything just accusations from lawyers which mean diddly.

3) Very few relatively speaking former players have shown real problems. Of all those identified compared to those that have played you are talking a few percent. Those 4500 suing- bet you they could not get more than 50 or at most 100 to show real signs.

4) common sense should tell anyone that violent collisions are not good for your health. It has been known for years in the boxing world that punches to the head add up. So the players contention that they did not bear a lot of the blame for overlooking this would realistically not hold up in court.

 

[cowboys2233]

True. I was thinking more simply. They'll just raise ticket prices, concessions, etc.

The fans ultimately are the ones always paying.

The fans ultimately have a choice. If they choose to pay higher prices, whose fault is that? Yup, that's right, we're all going to become soccer fans. Get ready for it.

 

[cowboys2233]

1) there is still debate among the experts about this today. So the NFL players would have a hard time proving much beyond 5 years ago frankly.

2) proof NFL held back WHAT? No proof of anything just accusations from lawyers which mean diddly.

3) Very few relatively speaking former players have shown real problems. Of all those identified compared to those that have played you are talking a few percent. Those 4500 suing- bet you they could not get more than 50 or at most 100 to show real signs.

4) common sense should tell anyone that violent collisions are not good for your health. It has been known for years in the boxing world that punches to the head add up. So the players contention that they did not bear a lot of the blame for overlooking this would realistically not hold up in court.

Well, we'll agree to disagree on that. How could these players possibly know about these long term issues? Why can't you say the same thing about smoking? Tobacco companies deliberately withheld information regarding the damage caused by smoking and they were found liable in many cases. Was it consumers' fault for not knowing that smoking is bad for them? Don't talk to me about what will realistically hold up in court because you have absolutely no clue.

 

[Nation]

@AlbertBreer: Plaintiff's attorney says NFL owners were tough, adding to a Houston reporter: "You got one down in Texas I would say is a hard ***." ...

@AlbertBreer: ... Asked to clarify which Texas team he was talking about, the attorney said, "I don't even know who the owner in Houston is."

 

[BoysFan4ever]

The fans ultimately have a choice. If they choose to pay higher prices, whose fault is that? Yup, that's right, we're all going to become soccer fans. Get ready for it.

I would not pay to see the Cowboys in person. It's just too high for me.

Good for those that go; that's great. I just prefer to watch on TV.

 

[17yearsandcounting]

Frankly, if the players accept this deal, I think the NFL would be doing cartwheels because they are getting off incredibly light. $150,000 per player? If (and I realize it's a BIG if) all of these players are actually dealing with brain trauma issues, $150,000 won't mean diddly, especially when paid out over 17 years. It sounds like a lot of money, but medical bills for such significant treatment issues would skyrocket past that in about ten seconds. Of course, if many of these players are just looking for a money grab, then it's not too bad! I realize that some of you think that it should have been obvious to the players that they were doing irreparable harm to their brains but I strongly disagree. If you have doctors telling you that you have fully recovered, you place a certain degree of trust in their knowledge and skill. And if there is proof that the NFL deliberately withheld information that could have prevented some of this? Well, then we're talking a whole new ballgame.

If you have ever had a serious concussion, you know for a 100% fact that you arent right no matter what anyone else might say or think about you. These men are college educated, they should be willing to take some personal responsibility for the choices they made and the well fare of their bodies. When is the lawsuit against the NCAA? Their highschool leagues?