In this Jan. 22, 1983, file photo, Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett (33) takes a hard hit and fumbles the ball during first quarter of an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins in Washington. (AP Photo/File)
by Nancy Armour
AP National Writer
Tony Dorsett hopes a proposed $765 million settlement with the NFL can make a difference in the lives of the thousands of former players who are suffering from concussion-related brain injuries.
Players like Dorsett, a Hall of Fame running back.
“There’s definitely a dire need for help for these guys — for us guys,” Dorsett told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The settlement would provide immediate compensation for players and their families, pay for medical exams and treatment, and underwrite research that the plaintiffs hope will protect future generations from the devastating effects of repeated blows to the head. The settlement still has to be approved by Senior U.S. District Judge Anita Brody in Philadelphia, something lead plaintiffs’ lawyer Christopher Seeger said he expects to happen in the next 60 to 90 days.
In this image Jan. 25, 2012 file photo taken from video, Hall of Fame football player Tony Dorsett, is interviewed in his dome in suburban Dallas. .(AP Photo/Martha Irvine, File)
“I don’t know all the details so I really can’t speak to the specifics, but I’m glad to see there’s been some movement and some reaction to all this,” said Dorsett, the most accomplished and best-known plaintiff in the flurry of lawsuits after starring for the Dallas Cowboys and winning the 1976 Heisman Trophy at Pittsburgh.
“Wow,” Dorsett said, pausing. “I’m glad to see this has come to somewhat of an end. But the research obviously is going to be important, the safety of the players is going to be extremely important.”
Dorsett and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Jim McMahon were among the more than 4,500 former athletes — some suffering from dementia, depression or Alzheimer’s — who have sued the NFL since the first case was filed in Philadelphia in 2011. They accused the league of concealing the long-term dangers of concussions and rushing injured players back onto the field, while glorifying and profiting from the kind of bone-jarring hits that make for spectacular highlight-reel footage.
“I’m shocked that it is settled. I’m used to the NFL taking a hard-line approach as they have throughout the years with strikes and everything else,” said former offensive tackle Lomas Brown, a seven-time Pro Bowler with Detroit, Arizona, Cleveland, the New York Giants and Tampa Bay. “I’m curious how they came up with the figure and I’ve got a lot of questions, but I am happy that it’s done. Any time the NFL acknowledges they are ready to settle something, it shows they knew they had some sort of negligence.”
The NFL has insisted that safety has always been a top priority, and in settling the thousands of cases it admitted no wrongdoing. While a trial could have forced the NFL to disclose what it knew, and when, about concussion-linked brain problems, Seeger said the plaintiffs’ greater concern was a fair settlement — and one that would be paid immediately.
Had the lawsuits gone to trial, it could have been years before the players saw any money. Years the players might not have.
Already, Pro Bowler Junior Seau and former Atlanta Falcon Ray Easterling, one of the first players to file a lawsuit, have committed suicide. Former Philadelphia Eagles full back Kevin Turner has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, at 44, and fears he might not live to see his 50th birthday. Dorsett finds himself forgetting how to get places he’s been going for 30 years, and his 10-year-old daughter now complains that they can’t do certain things together because “Daddy won’t remember how to do it.”
“Football has been my life and football has been kind to me,” Dorsett said. “But when I signed up for this, I didn’t know some of the repercussions — I did know I could get injured, but I didn’t know about my head or the trauma or the things that could happen to me later on in life. I’m glad, again, that they’ve come to some type of resolution but I’ve got to see how it all plays out. I hope it will benefit some guys that need help. That’s the good thing.”
Under the settlement, individual payouts would be capped at $5 million for men with Alzheimer’s disease; $4 million for those diagnosed after their deaths with a brain condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy; and $3 million for players with dementia.
“The compensation provided in this settlement will lift a huge burden off of men who are suffering right now, both them and their families of course,” Turner said. “They no longer have to make decisions regarding their health based on what they can afford, but they can make it based on what’s the best treatment for them,” Turner said. “Those who are asymptomatic or those who have no symptoms right now, I’ve talked to some that still worry that in the future, they may wind up, unfortunately, like me. And if, God forbid, any of these former players get sick in the future, this program will still be there for them. It’s just phenomenal.”
The settlement also will pay for baseline assessments and, if needed, medical care, for players who have not yet shown signs of brain injuries or are only beginning to show symptoms of impairment.
“My whole deal, and the other lawsuit with images, is all about health care, which we don’t have,” said Joe DeLamielleure, the Hall of Fame offensive lineman with the Buffalo Bills. “Some reporter called and said, ‘That comes out to $170,000 per man.’ I said, ‘Good, I don’t want that. I want health care.’ Because what good is the money going to do you?
“My whole thing through this whole thing is we lived our dreams, the players, and now our families live our nightmares,” DeLamielleure added. “Let’s help take care of the women and the kids who have to take of their dads from this stuff.”
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AP Football Writer Barry Wilner and AP Sports Writers John Wawrow and Larry Lage contributed to this report.
Reaction to the NFL concussions settlement
The Associated Press
Reaction to Thursday’s order from Senior U.S. District Judge Anita Brody outlining a proposed $765 million settlement between the NFL and more than 4,500 former players who want to resolve concussion-related lawsuits:
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From the outset of this litigation, I have expressed my belief that the interests of all parties would be best served by a negotiated resolution of this case. The settlement holds the prospect of avoiding lengthy, expensive and uncertain litigation, and of enhancing the game of football. — Brody.
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It’s frustrating. Frustrating. And to have a 10-year old daughter who says to her mother, ‘Daddy can’t do this because Daddy won’t remember how to do it,’ it’s not a good feeling. I’m glad to see there’s been … acknowledgment that football has had something to do with a lot of the issues us players are going through right now. — former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett.
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This agreement lets us help those who need it most and continue our work to make the game safer for current and future players. … We thought it was critical to get more help to players and families who deserve it rather than spend many years and millions of dollars on litigation. — NFL executive vice president Jeffrey Pash.
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I think it’s more important that the players have finality, that they’re vindicated, and that as soon as the court approves the settlement they can begin to get screening, and those that are injured can get their compensation. I think that’s more important than looking at some documents. — attorney Sol Weiss, who filed the first lawsuit on behalf of former Atlanta Falcon Ray Easterling and others.
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Concussions are part of the game. I know a lot of the old players need a lot of help, and it’s quite a settlement, from what I understand. … I think people have hid behind this too long. It’s time it’s out in the open. It’s out in the open now so we’ll see what happens. — former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka.
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NFL concussion lawsuit net outcome? Big loss for the players now and the future! Estimated NFL revenue by 2025 = $27 BILLION. — former NFL player Kevin Mawae in a tweet.
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Glad to see the older guys are getting taken care of with the concussion settlement. It’ll never be enough, but it’s a start. Curious, though, what the NFL is going to do after putting $765 million into figuring out you can’t pad the inside of someone’s head. — Oakland Raiders punter Chris Kluwe on Twitter.
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I am able to live my life the same way I was, but now — chances are I am 44 now I won’t make it to 50 or 60 — I have money now to put back for my children to go to college and for a little something to be there financially. … The compensation provided in this settlement will lift a huge burden off the men who are suffering right now, for both them and their families, of course. It will give them the peace of mind to have the best quality of life they can have. No longer have to make decisions regarding their health based on what they can afford, but based on what is the best treatment for them. — former NFL running back Kevin Turner, who has Lou Gehrig’s disease.
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It’s part of the game why sue. — former NFL receiver Chad (Ochocinco) Johnson in a tweet.
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I’m shocked that it is settled. I’m used to the NFL taking a hard-line approach as they have throughout the years with strikes and everything else. I’m curious how they came up with the figure and I’ve got a lot of questions, but I am happy that it’s done. Any time the NFL acknowledges they are ready to settle something, it shows they knew they had some sort of negligence. — former offensive lineman Lomas Brown, a seven-time Pro Bowler who had sued the league.
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The settlement includes much-needed medical care and monitoring of former players, as well as a commitment to research funding. — The Boston University Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, which has been examining brains of deceased NFL players to try to determine what sort of connection exists between football and brain disease.
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The NFL is far and away the most popular spectator sport in this country, so it has a symbolic power to lead the way on this issue. Now they are free to help raise awareness and fund prevention and treatment that will save millions from an injury that affects what it means to be human. — agent Leigh Steinberg in op-ed on Forbes.com.
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All of those ‘experts’ said this would be a 10-year process, but I personally believe both sides did whatever they had to, to help retired players — and at the same time, to not change the game of football as we know it. — Craig Mitnick, an attorney who helped represent more than 1,000 plaintiffs against the NFL.
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All of the plaintiffs involved are part of our player community, and we look forward to learning more about the settlement. — NFL Players Association.