Athletes have bought disability insurance for decades as a hedge against career-ending injuries like torn ligaments and broken bones. But players who leave the N.F.L. because of severe head trauma are being forced to convince insurers that their often invisible injuries are both real and serious.
On Monday, Haruki Nakamura, a former defensive back who played for five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and the Carolina Panthers, took the extraordinary step of suing the insurer Lloyd’s of London to force it to honor a $1 million policy it sold him. In all, Nakamura is seeking $3 million, or triple the value of the policy, to account for damages, as well as costs, interest and lawyer fees.