By Ken Belson | The New York Times
The estimated $1 billion concussion settlement that the N.F.L. reached with retired players is plagued by deception, causing delays in payments of potentially millions of dollars to hundreds of players, according to court papers the league filed Friday.
To fix the problem, the league asked the federal judge overseeing the settlement to appoint a special investigator to stop “widespread fraud infecting” the settlement program, which provides up to $5 million to retired players with serious neurological and cognitive issues.
The league’s request followed filings last month by lawyers representing hundreds of players who accused the N.F.L. of deliberately using intimidation and manipulation to deny and delay payments. The plaintiffs’ lawyers noted that an unusually high percentage of claims had been audited, and that the league had appealed a large number of cash awards to players.
