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players reach deal in concussion lawsuit

District Court in Philadelphia.

The agreement still needs to be approved by the judge assigned to the case, which involved Discount mlb jerseys more than 4,500 plaintiffs.

"It's been a struggle to get to this point, but today I Wholesale jerseys china will say I'm very proud that the NFL has decided to stand up for all the former players who are suffering from brain injuries," Kevin Turner, a former NFL running back who has been diagnosed with ALS, said during a teleconference.

"Today is so important for those who are. hurting. District Judge Layn Phillips, called it "a historic agreement, one that will make sure that former NFL players who need and deserve compensation will receive it, and that will promote safety for players at all levels of football."

"My hope is that any players or ex players that are suffering, or begin to suffer, from symptoms of dementia, will be taken care of in a respectable manner through this settlement," said Chris Dronett, one of the plaintiffs, whose husband Shane Dronett committed suicide in 2009 at age 38.

Scientists found evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, in Shane's brain after his death.

At the heart of the lawsuit was plaintiffs' allegations that the NFL led a deliberate misinformation campaign primarily through its Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee to deny scientific data being presented in the medical community about concussion risks.

NFL concussions: The facts

The suit alleged that misinformation, which included studies by the committee suggesting no correlation between concussions and long term brain damage, trickled down to players so that they did not not realize the true risks they were taking while playing.

The NFL didn't comment about the settlement, but a league spokesman previously has said, "Any allegation that the league sought to mislead players has no merit. and stands in contrast to actions it took to better protect players."

Family members of former players, some of whom are suffering from neurodegenerative illnesses, said they were stunned to find out the lawsuit had been settled so quickly.

"I had two thoughts. First, I'm glad that the league will finally take responsibility," said Tia McNeill, the ex wife of former Minnesota Viking linebacker Fred McNeill, a plaintiff who suffers with symptoms of early dementia. "The other thing I was thinking is that (the NFL) didn't want to go into the discovery phase of the case.".