NFL Breaks Silence After Law Firms Used Nearly 100 Retired Players To Defraud $1 Billion Concussion Settlement Fund

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

The NFL reacted after five law firms received accusations of attempting to defraud the league’s concussion settlement fund. The alleged scheme involved 98 former NFL players.

The detailed 51-page report became public this week. Court officials overseeing the league’s $1 billion-plus settlement for concussion-related injuries barred five law firms from handling more of these claims.

The report found that they fraudulently led clients to doctors who willingly gave them a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis, whether they showed symptoms or not. The five firms represented 98 players who tried to get six- to seven-figure payouts for Parkinson’s disease claims.

NFL Issues Statement After Shocking Findings

Following the release of the report, the league issued a statement, where they backed the findings and the recommended measures.

“The remedies that the Special Masters imposed are provided for by the Settlement Agreement and were necessary, given the scope of misconduct uncovered by the Claims Administrator’s investigation,” the league said, as per NBC. “We are hopeful that this decision will deter future misconduct.

“The NFL remains committed to ensuring that players and their families receive the benefits they deserve, and any misconduct threatens the integrity of the Settlement and the prompt payment of legitimate claims. We are pleased with the Special Masters’ Decision, which sends a clear message that fraud in the NFL Concussion Settlement Program will not be tolerated.”

Of the 98 players, 37 had their claims pending (now will be denied). 57 were approved, totaling more than $95 million, which sparked the audit. The attorneys’ share in those approved claims came out to about $20 million.