It's been four years since lawsuits connected to concussions were first filed against the NFL, and even now that a settlement agreement finally has been approved by a federal judge, none of the hundreds of millions of dollars available to thousands of former players will be paid until any appeals are heard — and, after that, until claims are assessed.
"It's a really good feeling, but it's not over yet, because of the appellate process," said Craig Mitnick, who represented more than 1,000 ex-players against the NFL. "It is more likely than not that within the next month, one of the attorneys that got involved late in the game, who represents a player or players who do not believe the settlement is fair, is going to court.