BOSTON — Former National Football League players suffering from health problems will be eligible to receive as much as $5 million each under a settlement reached in a lawsuit brought by thousands of retired players. The ex-NFL players will not have to show their injuries were caused by football, Christopher Seeger, an attorney for the retired players, said Tuesday, a day after filing a preliminary motion for approval of the settlement in US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The details of the deal come four months after the NFL agreed to pay more than $760 million to settle a lawsuit brought by more than 4,500 former players. The settlement, and the fact it does not require proof that injuries were sustained from football, avoids a lengthy trial that could have delved into the league's understanding of the potential toll the game takes on its players. Sports business experts at the time of the settlement in late August said that it was a modest sum for the NFL, believed to generate total revenue of $9 billion or $10 billion a year. The settlement includes $675 million to compensate former players and their families, $75 million to test retired players for neuropsychological and neurological conditions and $10 million to fund educational and safety programs for football players, according to court documents. Retired players diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease – formally known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – will receive up to $5 million each, Seeger said. Maximum payments for other diagnoses, including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, range from $1.5 to $4 million, according to the agreement. A growing body of academic research shows the repeated hits to the head endured by players can lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which can lead to aggression and dementia. Dolphins dump GM Jeff Ireland was fired Tuesday as general manager of the Miami Dolphins after the team dropped its final two regular-season games to miss the NFL playoffs. “After a series of discussions, we both felt that it was in our mutual best interest to part ways,” Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said in a statement. “Jeff was a loyal and dedicated member of the Dolphins and we wish him and his family nothing but the best.” The Dolphins went 8-8 but missed the playoffs for the fifth season in a row, a campaign marred by a harassment scandal involving the treatment of Jonathan Martin by fellow offensive lineman Richie Incognito. — Agencies
