The first two claims in the NFL’s billion-dollar concussion settlement were announced Thursday with a total of $9 million in benefits, according to the New York Times. The Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, which is overseeing the process, was notified Thursday that the claims were approved.
The names of the former players were not disclosed as part of the filings. The payouts were for $5 million for a qualifying diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and $4 million for a qualifying diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Those amounts mean that each individual played a minimum of five National Football League seasons and received a diagnosis before his 45th birthday. Players who have received a diagnosis of A.L.S., Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or dementia are eligible for payments.
The league has estimated that 6,000 former players — or nearly three in 10 — could develop Alzheimer’s disease or moderate dementia. More than 14,500 class members out of a potential well above 20,000 have registered for benefits ahead of the Aug. 7 deadline.
This story first appeared in the blog, The Sport Intern. The editor is Karl-Heinz Huba of Lorsch, Germany. He can be reached at ISMG@aol.com. The article is reprinted here with permission of Huba.