“It’s one of those ‘not everyone is going to be happy in the end’ situations, and I think the majority of the objecting class members would understand compromises needed to be made, and this is the best deal they’ve gotten so far.”

That’s what Goldberg Segalla partner and Sports and Entertainment Practice Group Chair Joseph M. Hanna told Law360 in an article parsing the Third Circuit’s opinion that the district court properly certified a proposed class of some 20,000 retired National Football League players alleging a range of neurological ailments, from dementia to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Objectors to the mammoth uncapped settlement of at least $765 million claim it doesn’t do enough to help former players suffering from the condition, and it also excludes players who die after a cutoff date. Even so, Joe noted, “It will have an effect on the way the league handles injuries, particularly head trauma, moving forward. The NFL will hopefully be more open with the players and the public, working with everyone to make the game safer … as opposed to trying to keep things hidden.”

Under terms of the settlement, families of players who had CTE can receive up to $4 million. 

Read the article here:

• “3rd Circuit Puts an End to Objections in NFL Concussion Deal,” Law360, April 18, 2016 (subscription required)