Thousands of ex-players are suing the NFL for head injuries they suffered and the resulting consequences. So Frontline is asking, how much is a professional football player’s brain worth?
It’s not a simple question to answer. There is no baseline dollar amount for everyone who sues. Settlements could end with $5 million, or absolutely nothing. When a federal judge ordered that negotiators figure out some way of determining who should get what in these cases, they come up with The Grid.
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The Grid uses three criteria to determine a payout: Age when symptoms appeared, how severe the illness is, and how long he played.
The payouts get a bit complicated because the eligibility for things like death from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) are only an option if the player died after 2005.
Although these settlements don’t not suggest that the NFL is taking any ownership for the injuries, it’s a least a step in the right direction so that some players and their families can move forward.
It’s unfortunate that these cases are so prevalent in the industry, and the growing controversy and more recent backlash reflects that.
