U.S. District Judge Anita Brody yesterday "asked for further revisions" to a settlement for the concussion-related lawsuit filed by former NFLers against the league that "could pay out" as much as $1B over 65 years, according to Jeremy Roebuck of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. The move came seven months after she "granted preliminary approval to the plan." Brody "ordered both sides to attempt to amend their settlement proposal to widen eligibility" for some former players and their families. She also "sought to ensure the plan would cover neurological testing for all registered retirees" should the $10M the deal "sets aside for such tests run out." The parties were "ordered to report back to the court on the progress of their negotiations by Feb. 13." This is the "second time Brody has publicly called for negotiators to change the proposal." Brody "pressed negotiators to cover deceased retirees who were more recently diagnosed with CTE." The deal would currently "offer payouts to those diagnosed before a July 7, 2014, cutoff date," but she "urged that date be extended through the date of the settlement's final approval." She also asked that the deal "grant some credit for time players may have spent playing in NFL-affiliated leagues abroad" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 2/3). In N.Y., Ken Belson notes Brody asked that the NFL remove the $75M cap "for the baseline assessment program, which is available to all players and designed to provide a benchmark to determine whether or how much a player’s cognitive condition has deteriorated." She also wants the $1,000 fee for "appealing a medical claim be waived for players of limited means." Legal experts say that the "fine-tuning of the settlement is appropriate and not a roadblock to reaching a final deal" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/3).
PLAYERS' OPTION: In L.A., Nathan Fenno notes the proposed deal "applies to all retired players, regardless of whether they sued." Fewer than 200 retired players "opted out by last October’s deadline" (
L.A. TIMES, 2/3). BLOOMBERG NEWS' Pearson & Novy-Williams note Brody was "swayed by the objections" of dozens of former players and their families who said the deal wasn’t good enough, especially for those with symptoms" of CTE. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during his Super Bowl press conference on Friday said that concussions were down 25% from the '13 season, "continuing a three-year trend" (
BLOOMBERG NEWS, 2/2).
WHAT OFFSEASON? USA TODAY's Christine Brennan writes though the '14 NFL season has officially ended, the league's "hold on the American news cycle goes on and on and on." Prior to yesterday's news that Brody "wants more changes before she'll approve the deal," word came down that Browns QB Johnny Manziel is "entering rehab." The Ravens also "officially terminated the contract" of DT Terrence Cody "before he was indicted by a grand jury on animal cruelty charges." Additionally, NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp was arrested yesterday morning in Phoenix on "suspicion of soliciting a prostitute and allegedly assaulting two women." That is "quite a news day for a league whose season is officially over." Brennan: "We really shouldn't be surprised. Omnipresent is the word that comes to mind. The NFL is everywhere, all the time. It certainly doesn't need games to keep right on going" (USA TODAY, 2/3).
