(Reuters) - Former National Football League players who oppose the league's settlement of lawsuits claiming it hid the risk of concussions on Monday asked a federal appeals court to throw out the comprehensive accord with more than 5,000 retirees.
In a filing with the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, 10 retired players said the accord, potentially worth $1 billion, was unfair because it excluded players who have yet to be diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative condition linked to repeated blows to the head.
These players said the settlement unfairly favored currently injured retirees over those merely exposed to head trauma, and left a potential 19,000 players who could face but have yet to be diagnosed with neurological diseases without a remedy.