The NFL’s $1 billion settlement with players suing over brain injuries has allowed 156 former players to receive payments, averaging about $1 million each. But there are questions surrounding the thousands of remaining claimants.
Attorney Peter Shahriari’s firm represents about 250 former players, and he accuses the NFL of dragging its feet to such an extent that the settlement itself may have to be rejected.
“The settlement is broken’’ and “on the brink of collapse,’’ Shahriari said in a court document.
The NFL says there’s nothing broken about the settlement, but that the league needs to ensure that every player filing claims actually deserves the payments he has requested.
“We are ensuring that legitimate claims are processed and paid in a timely way to those individuals and families who deserve these benefits,’’ NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the Boston Globe. “We believe that it is entirely appropriate to continue to oppose fraudulent and unsupported claims. No legitimate claim has been rejected.’’
A total of 214 former players had their claims denied.