"I expected a settlement to come at some point. What I didn’t expect was to feel so oddly conflicted about it." Writes retired NFL player Scott Fujita, in an Essay published by the New York Times titled "
Mixed Feelings Over N.F.L. Concussions Settlement"
Last Thursday, the N.F.L. and the more than 4,500 plaintiffs involved in a consolidated concussion lawsuit agreed to settle their differences and, pending the approval of a judge, were prepared to put the dispute behind them. Good news, right? Certainly a win for everyone involved? I’m not so sure.
After reading the essay, I got the sense Scott wanted the plaintiffs to hold out for more money.
I wasn’t a part of the lawsuit. I was approached about it, as I’m sure every player who retired in recent months had been...
The lawsuit was not Scott's fight, he is just commenting about it.
I’m thrilled for Kevin Turner, a former player and a plaintiff who is battling A.L.S., known as Lou Gehrig’s disease...
The proposed settlement agreement will potentially relieve a tremendous financial and medical burden for Turner. And this will happen now, instead of 5, 10, maybe 15 years from now, when he may no longer be with us. The settlement is a huge win for the former players like Kevin Turner and their families. We must not lose sight of that. It’s easy to tell someone to hold out for more when it’s not your livelihood at risk.
These deals are complicated and multilayered, and they affect everybody differently. It’s easy to feel conflicted. And it’s not always easy to declare a winner or a loser.
Is it easy to feel conflicted, because delaying the hit to the owners would also mean hurting the players battling the effects of the game?
