Former players react to NFL concussion settlement

Once a hard-driving fullback for the Eagles, Kevin Turner no longer has the hand strength to grasp a straw.

That helps explain why Turner considered Thursday's news of a settlement between the National Football League and former NFL players suing the league to be as big a victory as any he had experienced on the field.

Turner, 44, found out he shouldn't have to prove that his many symptoms from his diagnosed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, came from his eight seasons in the NFL.

A lead plaintiff in the class-action settlement reached between 4,500 former players and the NFL, Turner should receive some of the $765 million the league will pay to settle lawsuits. The former players had accused the NFL of ignoring or hiding evidence that the sport causes injuries that can result in brain damage.

"For those who are hurting, this will bring comfort today," Turner said Thursday on a conference call. "The compensation in this settlement will lift a huge burden off the men who are suffering right now."

Turner's own condition was apparent when he appeared in a Philadelphia courtroom in April. He tucked his head down as he sat in the front row.

"I knew I would have a bad back, bad neck, bad shoulders. I was willing to accept that," Turner said that day. "But the fact that my brain has changed everything about me - that much I never knew."

The settlement, to include all retired players and families of deceased players, but not current NFL players, offers no admission of liability by the NFL.

From the $765 million, a fund of $675 million is to be established to compensate former players who have suffered cognitive injury. Baseline tests will be administered to any former player, to establish future eligibility.

Individual payments will be "as high as $5 million," said Christopher Seeger, one of the lead attorneys.

Of the settlement, Seeger said, "when we got the number we needed, we ended it." He added, "You hear the clock ticking."

He meant that some plaintiffs need financial and medical help now. That was clearly a reason the decision was made to settle rather than litigate, since plaintiffs would have had to prove any brain injury came from playing football, and, on top of that, from playing in the NFL.

"In our deal, they don't have to prove any of those things," Seeger said.

Not every former player was thrilled by the amount of the settlement.

"Big loss for the players now and the future!" former player Kevin Mawae tweeted. "Estimated NFL revenue by 2025 [equals] $27 BILLION."

"Glad to see the older players are getting taken care of with the concussion settlement," tweeted Oakland Raiders punter Chris Kluwe. "It'll never be enough, but it's a start. Curious, though, what the NFL is going to do after putting $765 million into figuring out you can't pad the inside of someone's head."

Kluwe added: "Also, when does the NCAA make its payouts to college athletes? Those guys aren't getting anything to deal with future medical bills."

"Any time the NFL acknowledges they are ready to settle something, it shows they knew they had some sort of negligence," said retired offensive lineman Lomas Brown, a plaintiff.

Chad Johnson took a different tack when asked on Twitter why he wasn't a plaintiff. The former star receiver known as Ochocinco tweeted, "It's part of the game why sue."

Turner said, "It's been a struggle to get to this point, but today I am very proud that the NFL has decided to stand up for all the former players who were suffering from brain injuries."

"I'll probably be dead and gone by the time it gets settled," Gerry Feehery, a former Eagles lineman and one of the original seven plaintiffs, said in February.

The 53-year-old Feehery, who battled memory loss and depression, said Thursday that he would have to check with the attorneys to find out what the settlement will mean for him personally.

"I hope this means that people will be able to get the help that they need," he said.