By Ken Belson | The New York Times
alter Carter, who played for the Raiders and the Buccaneers, has heard from at least a dozen companies pitching services. The sales pitches were filled with urgency and emphasized familiarity. Act now or risk missing out on millions of dollars. Trust us because we are part of the “N.F.L. brotherhood.” “You have nothing to lose,” a former N.F.L. quarterback implored in one, “but money you’re entitled to and that you earned the hard way.”
The pleadings are aimed at former N.F.L. players who stand to receive checks from the largest legal settlement in sports history, a pool of money that may top $1 billion for retirees who sued the league for lying to them about the dangers of concussions as they got their heads pounded on the field.
Some players may get very little, but others with severe neurological diseases may receive as much as $5 million. Now lawyers, lenders and would-be advisers are circling, pitching their services and trying to get a cut of the money.
