The NFL and more than 4,500 former players and family members have settled concussion-related lawsuits for $765 million, according to ESPN.
Senior U.S. District Court Judge Anita Brody is now said to be pondering the proposed global settlement, which reportedly would fund medical exams, concussion-related payouts and medical research.
Among those named as plaintiffs are Pro Football 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.
According to ESPN, many former players now suffering from neurological conditions insist their problems stem from on-field concussions. The lawsuit further accused league officials of hiding known risks associated with the condition over several decades, all in a coordinated effort to get injured players to return to the field sooner rather than later and to protect the league's image.
While the NFL has denied any wrongdoing and has insisted that safety has always been a top priority, the settlement likely means league officials will not be required to release or disclose any internal documents about what it knew, or when, related to concussion-linked brain problems.
David Frederick, who is representing the players, previously accused the league of concealing studies linking concussions to neurological problems. In recent years, a string of former NFL players and other concussed athletes have been diagnosed after their deaths with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. Those players included both Seau and lead plaintiff Ray Easterling, who filed the initial suit against the NFL in Philadelphia in 2011, but later committed suicide.
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