Ex-NFL players reportedly wanted $2 billion in lawsuit settlement

With the news of the recent concussion lawsuit settlement between the NFL and former players, more and more details have continued to emerge. We learned that the league had agreed to pay $765 million plus legal fees over the next 20 years to the players who were involved in the lawsuit, but they were initially seeking much more in return.

According to a recent report, the former players were hoping for as much as $2 billion.

From the Sports Illustrated report:

"Plaintiffs had asked for much more and the likelihood that they’d get it was marginal, at best. The players’ side wanted just over $2 billion, and as the Fainaru/Fainaru-Wada report indicated, the NFL started from about zero in its discussions.U.S. District Judge Anita Brody, who must still sign off on the recent agreement, apparently told the two sides that she was ready to agree with the NFL’s contention that many who played during the former collective bargaining agreement — those who played from 1994 through 2010 — should be excluded. This would have eliminated a huge percentage of the plaintiff pool, and scuttled the class-action aspect of the claim. Brody also said that since the league’s concussion committee wasn’t formed until 1994, those remaining in the suit would have a tough time proving any fraud allegations."

Both sides still won on the deal — especially the NFL who can put a very public PR nightmare behind them — but the money that will be handed over could have been a much larger figure.