OVER 100 FORMER NFL PLAYERS OBJECT TO DISABILITY SETTLEMENT

More than 100 former American football players have filed formal objections to a proposed settlement of a class action brought against the NFL's disability plan, according to a report citing the Washington Post. The objections were lodged in federal court in Baltimore, one outlet reported. The group of objectors includes former players Mike Vick, Willis McGahee and Ricky Williams, according to the report. The underlying case, filed in 2023, arose from the league's use of a practice known as "race-norming" when assessing disability claims. The proposed settlement itself was negotiated in June, the report said.

Attorney Sam Katz, who represents the objecting players, told the Washington Post: "This settlement requires hundreds of former players to give up every legal claim they have regarding their disability benefits in exchange for essentially nothing, with no ability to opt out." Class members in such cases are normally able to choose between accepting the collective settlement or pursuing claims independently, the report noted. Former NFL defensive end Vaughn Booker wrote in his objection that "the defendants and counsel think non-white players are stupid". Booker also said players were given barely any notice of the settlement before being told they could not opt out of it.

Katz has argued that the settlement, as it stands, could cost the objecting players millions of dollars in benefits, according to the report. The report said that if the objectors' contentions prove accurate, it would be difficult to see the settlement winning court approval. No date for a ruling on the objections was given in the report. The dispute remains before the federal court, with more than 100 former players now contesting the terms of the deal reached earlier this year.