Current and former players react to NFL concussion settlement
The late Junior Seau was not far from the thoughts of friends and associates in the immediate aftermath of news of a proposed settlement of concussion-related lawsuits between the NFL and more than 4,500 ex-players.
Seau, the former San Diego Chargers linebacker and USC star, committed suicide in 2012. He was 43.
Tight end Alex Holmes also played for USC -- long after Seau’s era -- and played eight games in the NFL with Miami in 2005. He tweeted about the proposed settlement on Thursday morning.
My good friend Junior Seau’s life was just valued at 170,000. #SOAKTHATIN— Alex Holmes (@Trojan81) August 29, 2013
The proposed settlement comes out to about $170,000 per affected player. Lawyers in the talks said the proposed agreement was reached about 2 a.m. Thursday.
Those involved in the suits included Seau’s family and icons Eric Dickerson and Tony Dorsett.
Outspoken Raiders punter Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) weighed in with a series of tweets on Thursday morning and referenced the NCAA.
Glad to see the older guys are getting taken care of with the concussion settlement. It’ll never be enough, but it’s a start.— Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) August 29, 2013
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.— Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) August 29, 2013
Also, when does the NCAA make its payouts to college athletes? Those guys aren’t getting anything to deal with future medical bills.— Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) August 29, 2013
Michael McCann (@McCannSportsLaw), legal analyst for Sports Illustrated and NBA.com, addressed the proposed settlement and the prospect for movement on the NCAA front on Twitter.
Had ex-players gone to trial v NFL, litigation--with appeals--would have taken several yrs & players may have lost on CBA, causation issues.— Michael McCann (@McCannSportsLaw) August 29, 2013
Could NCAA & its members afford a similar concussion settlement? Would they be willing? Very different economic model than NFL & its teams.— Michael McCann (@McCannSportsLaw) August 29, 2013
ALSO:
Watch two Marlins slide into third base at the same time
NFL, ex-players reach $765-million concussions lawsuit settlement
Watch a squirrel run on to the court and interrupt play at the U.S. Open
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
