SCOTUS has refused to hear an appeal concerning the settlement of the concussion issue in the NFL, as reported by Reuters:
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for the National Football League’s estimated $1 billion settlement of concussion-related lawsuits with thousands of retired players to take effect, rejecting a challenge brought by a small group of dissenters.
The eight justices refused to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling in April upholding the settlement, which resolved litigation brought by players who accused the NFL of covering up information that tied head trauma like that suffered playing football to permanent brain damage.
The settlement enables the NFL, the most popular U.S. sports league with billions of dollars in annual revenue, to avoid litigation that could have led to huge sums in damages and provided embarrassing details about how it has dealt with the dangers posed by head trauma in the violent sport.
Perhaps unfortunate for future NFLers, but maybe necessary for past NFLers who need help immediately. Although I would hope a beginning sum could have been negotiated while the issue received the airing-out it really requires.
If I had a child, I would not encourage them to play football.
