Suit alleges NFL dragging out concussion settlements

Former NFL players seeking assistance as part of last year's class-action concussion suit settlement are accusing the league of trying to avoid paying medical benefits, according to multiple reports.

In a court filing this week, lawyers for the players said 1,113 of the 1,712 medical claims made since a Supreme Court ruling in January 2017 are seeking benefits related to dementia, but only six of those claims have been paid out for $4.85 million.

The filing argues those numbers fall far short of projections of 430 approved dementia claims for $72.3 million originally issued by the NFL.

"The NFL seeks to rig the Settlement system," attorney Gene Locks wrote in the filing. "Historically, it has always engaged in scorched-earth litigation, and that is what the League is doing here, making it a Settlement in name only."

League spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement that the "process of review and payment is becoming more streamlined and claims will be processed even more efficiently going forward."

The filing accuses the NFL of dragging out litigation by means of changing standards for claims, making repeated denials of claims, filing appeals and portraying material found on social media as evidence of fraud or exaggeration.

One player diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's had his claim survive an appeal by the league only to have the case held up when the NFL demanded an audit, accusing him of fraud based on a four-year-old video of the player speaking publicly, according to the lawsuit.

"Clearly, the NFL is scouring the internet and social media sites to find isolated out-of-context moments of lucid behavior by a player to drum up doubt about a sound (early onset Alzheimer's) diagnosis," the court filing said.

The filing also says the NFL targets players cases related to dementia, because they make up the large majority of claims, aren't easily diagnosed and are more prone to rejection after appeals and audits.

The Washington Post reported the league has appealed 35 of the 185 total claims approved by the firm administrating the process and has seen two overturned. Another 670 dementia claims are being audited.

-- Field Level Media