Leonard Marshall’s NFL concussion settlement claim was initially approved in 2017 for a $1.9 million monetary award tied to his Parkinson’s diagnosis, then reversed months later by the claims administrator, who called his condition “stable” and pointed to chronic traumatic encephalopathy as an “alternative” cause of his symptoms. CTE is not a compensable condition under the settlement, so the reversal used one brain disease the program will not pay for to deny compensation for another that it will. His claim remains unresolved.
Why Marshall Filed a Claim
Marshall spent 12 NFL seasons after the Giants drafted him in 1983, playing 10 years in New York and one each with the Jets and the Redskins. He was a two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman and a two-time Super Bowl champion, and he estimates he absorbed more than 30,000 blows to the head across his college and professional career.1Osmosis. A Patient Perspective on CTE: NFL Great Leonard Marshall2The Advocate. Former LSU, Giants Star Leonard Marshall Tells Coaches Eradicating Concussions Is Imperative
About a decade after retiring, he began experiencing short-term memory loss, headaches, difficulty communicating, and suicidal thoughts. A 2013 UCLA study alongside Tony Dorsett, Joe DeLamielleure, and Mark Duper identified signs of CTE in his brain. He has also been diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson’s disease, which is one of the qualifying conditions under the settlement.1Osmosis. A Patient Perspective on CTE: NFL Great Leonard Marshall3ESPN. Leonard Marshall Leads Concussion Charge
How the $1.9 Million Award Was Reversed
The settlement Marshall filed under grew out of multidistrict litigation consolidated before Judge Anita B. Brody in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. It covers diagnoses that include ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and certain levels of neurocognitive impairment. CTE is not covered except in rare posthumous cases diagnosed before April 2015.4Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. In Re National Football League Players’ Concussion Injury Litigation5WHYY. Judge Approves Fix to Stem Race Bias in NFL Concussion Deal
Marshall’s Parkinson’s claim cleared the initial review in 2017 at $1.9 million. Months later the claims administrator reversed the award. Two reasons were given. First, that his condition was “stable” and did not show the progressive decline expected with Parkinson’s. Second, that “alternative explanations” existed for his symptoms, with CTE identified as the more likely cause.6NewsNation. Call for DOJ to Investigate Possible Civil Rights Violation in NFL’s Brain Injury Settlement
Race-Norming and Marshall’s Case
During the re-evaluation, race-based normative data was applied to Marshall’s cognitive test scores. Under the practice, known as race norming, the scoring algorithm assumed Black players started with lower cognitive baselines, which raised the bar for demonstrating enough decline to qualify.7NJ.com. Angry Ex-Giants Players Wonder if Racist Policy Kept Them From Getting a Piece of NFL Concussion Settlement
The technique had been developed by neurologists in the 1990s as a socioeconomic adjustment and was folded into the settlement’s dementia testing when payouts began around 2015. Former players Kevin Henry and Najeh Davenport sued over it in 2020. Their case was dismissed, but Judge Brody sent the NFL and class counsel into mediation, and in October 2021 the league agreed to eliminate race norming. The NFL committed to funding a panel of experts to develop race-neutral norms and to rescoring or retesting Black players whose claims had been denied.5WHYY. Judge Approves Fix to Stem Race Bias in NFL Concussion Deal8ABC News. NFL Players Reach Agreement to End Race Norming in Concussion Settlement9ABC News. Neuropsychologists Call for Elimination of Race Norming in Clinical Tests
Judge Brody formally approved the revised plan in March 2022. The changes were expected to add $100 million or more to the NFL’s total costs. Rescoring under the race-blind formula does not guarantee approval, and as of mid-2026 mediation over how the replacement norms will actually be implemented is still ongoing.5WHYY. Judge Approves Fix to Stem Race Bias in NFL Concussion Deal4Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. In Re National Football League Players’ Concussion Injury Litigation
Why Denials Like Marshall’s Are Common
Marshall’s reversal fits a broader pattern. Of more than 1,200 claims based on diagnoses from settlement-approved doctors, roughly 28 percent have been denied. Many of those denials rely on the same “alternative causation” reasoning used against Marshall, with the administrator attributing cognitive decline to depression, pain, or sleep disorders rather than brain trauma. Reviews often take months or years, and at least three players have died before receiving a decision. The network of settlement-approved doctors has shrunk by more than 60 percent since 2018, tightening access to the evaluations players need.10Brain Injury Association of America. Investigation Shines Light on Large Number of Claim Denials From NFL Concussion Settlement
The overall program is large: more than $1.6 billion has been awarded across roughly 2,100 claims, with more than 20,500 retired players registered as class members. Dementia claims, which average about $600,000, account for nearly half of total payouts.11San Antonio Express-News. Law Firms Cheated in Filing Claims With NFL’s Concussion Settlement Fund12BrownGreer. NFL Concussion Settlement5WHYY. Judge Approves Fix to Stem Race Bias in NFL Concussion Deal Marshall is one of the players still waiting.
Where Marshall’s Claim Stands
Marshall’s settlement claim remains unresolved. The broader mediation over race-neutral replacement norms and the NFL’s outstanding appeals continues before Judge Brody, and his case sits within that pipeline.4Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. In Re National Football League Players’ Concussion Injury Litigation
Outside the claims process, he has kept a public role on brain injury. He sits on the board of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, supports CaringKind in New York, and co-founded the Brain Unity Trust to educate young athletes, coaches, and parents about concussion prevention.13Leonard Marshall Official Website. Advocate14Yahoo Sports. Ex-Super Bowl Champ Leonard Marshall to Teach About Concussions He manages his own symptoms with hyperbaric chamber treatments, CBD, cannabis, and regular blood work and hormonal monitoring.1Osmosis. A Patient Perspective on CTE: NFL Great Leonard Marshall