A federal judge in Philadelphia has rejected a class-action settlement proposal between the NFL and retired players who have sued the league over a litany of concussion-related injuries.
In rendering her preliminary ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Anita Brody insisted the $765 million agreed upon payout may not be enough to adequately cover the claims of the more than 20,000 individuals listed as its plaintiffs. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, she has now ordered attorneys to provide her with more details as to how they arrived at their proposed figure.
The newspaper adds Brody's decision comes just a week after the league and lawyers representing the former players unveiled the details of their intricate proposal.
While branding the proposed agreement "a commendable effort" born of "good faith, arms-length negotiations between adversaries," Brody nonetheless held firm to her conviction that she is not convinced the proposed settlement amount is enough to go around
According to The Inquirer, under terms of the current proposal former players would be compensated on a sliding scale from a $675 million piece of the overall settlement fund. In the event of a shortfall, the NFL would contribute up to an additional $37.5 million more.
The Inquirer adds the plan would offer as much as $5 million to each player who qualifies for top-level awards under a formula that would consider age, the number of seasons played and whether injuries after retirement might have contributed to their cognitive disorder.
Maximum awards of $5 million would go to players under 45 who played five or more seasons and and now suffer from conditions ranging from Parkinson's or Lou Gehrig's disease.
Among the plaintiffs are Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett, Super Bowl-winning quarterback Jim McMahon and the family of Pro Bowl linebacker Junior Seau, who committed suicide last year.
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