Now that the NFL has reached a settlement with retired players in the pending lawsuit that involved the league’s handling head concussions, we have learned some things. We learned that everyone has a price, as the NFL bought the silence of the former players. Yes, the NFL spent $756 million to keep this group of former players quiet. The league does not have to admit any wrongdoing, let alone divulge information that perhaps would uncover a few dirty secrets.
I am not a big fan of how the NFL treats its players, especially the ones who have helped make this league a multi-billion-dollar empire. I am even less of a fan of the leadership, or lack thereof, that the players association has shown over the years.
The league is going to pay $756 million to over 4,500 retired players for issues related to Alzheimer’s, dementia, post-concussion syndrome and the debilitating ailments these former players suffer. The average payout will be in the neighborhood of $170,000 per player. If you have had any major surgery lately, you will soon see $170,000 does not go as far as you think it would. The former players could still come up short. Also, they must prove to a board that these ailments actually exist and are worthy of compensation. Those who can only complain that they have a headache or cannot remember things like they used to face a challenge in getting compensated.
You have to wonder if there will be justice served for those who have been wronged. That brings us to leadership. How could they settle on this? The initial request was for $2 billion, and the former players walked away with much less than half of that. There were rumors that after the judge suggested mediation or she would give a ruling that neither party would like, the players caved.
I understand that this was a tricky case to argue as there was so much at stake for both sides, but the former players had more to lose here by not going for it. Instead, they have over 4,500 players who will now get in line and try to get as much as they can, which in the end may not be enough. Shame on the leadership who thought this was a good deal.
This is a league that has no shortage of money. It is valued to be worth over $12 billion and projected to grow to over $22 billion in about five years if they do not expand. If they do expand, the sky may be the limit. The league walks away not having to open the books on how much they are raking in and not having to admit any guilt. They admit nothing, and yet they say they are going to move forward and try and create a safer league. It took nearly $800 million for someone to wake up and realize that football is not what it is cracked up to be when it comes to safety.
This league does not care and they never have. Until now they never had to worry about it. Before now, when a player was cut or was forced to retire the league just moved on to the next guy who thought it could never happen to them. The players association just saw a new member replace an outgoing member. The member dues came in no matter whose name was on on the roster. Yet that former player on the street gets a dose of reality as to how insignificant they are in the eyes of the NFL and its players association.
What about the former players who were not part of the lawsuit? Where do they stand? More importantly, what about the next generation of players who are playing now? What legal recourse will they have? Has the NFL now insulated itself against future litigation by its former players? And will someone go after the NCAA for similar issues? The lawyers will stay busy and get wealthy on this one.
The game of football continues to change, on and off the field. The product we see on the field is nowhere near what it was 10 years ago. It is an inferior product, and we have to come to grips with that. If that means fewer players will suffer from horrible repercussions when their career is over, then let’s embrace it. I only hope the NFL and its players can trust each other enough to change the game for the better.  Â
