Jan 13, 2018

The NFL's time limit on when players' families can be compensated

Haley Britzky

Mike Webster #52 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during Super Bowl XIII. Photo: Focus on Sport / Getty Images

The NFL reached an agreement that compensation would not be awarded to families of players which had "severe cognitive and neurological problems" that died before 2006, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: Mike Webster, a former Pittsburgh Steelers icon and the first player to receive a diagnosis linking his football career to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease, died in 2002. Per the Times, his "landmark diagnosis" combined with his status as an NFL star "led to hundreds of cases filed by retired NFL players."

But Webster's family, who is eligible for a $3 million payout, hasn't received a dime from the league.

  • Per the Times, more than $150 million has been given out, and "many hundreds of other claims are being evaluated."
  • 40 claims have been made by families of players who died before the 2006 cutoff, and are being evaluated.

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