At first blush, the lawsuit filed Sunday by four players who previously hadn’t filed suit appeared to reflect an intention by those players to break from the proposed settlement announced three days earlier.
Their lawyer tells PFT that, in reality, the players plan to participate in the settlement.
“I strongly believe this settlement is an excellent development, and will encourage all my clients to take advantage of its benefits,” James Dugan II told PFT via email. “I filed this new case on behalf of these players because the Judge has not yet approved the settlement. In the event the settlement is not approved, this filing will preserve these players’ legal rights. Additionally, Riddell is named as a defendant in this filing, and they are not a party to the settlement announced last week.”
Under the proposed settlement, only retired players with severe cognitive impairment will be eligible for compensation. Currently retired players who develop severe cognitive impairment in the future will remain eligible to receive payment -- if any of the $675 million is left.