NFL Concussion Settlement: Diagnoses, Payouts, and Rescoring

The NFL concussion settlement is an uncapped class-action fund that has paid more than $1.6 billion to roughly 2,100 retired professional football players diagnosed with serious brain diseases tied to head injuries during their careers. Approved by a federal judge in April 2015, the program compensates six qualifying neurological conditions, is administered by the firm BrownGreer, and is designed to keep paying claims for 65 years — through roughly 2082.¹²

The NFL did not admit wrongdoing as part of the deal. In addition to the compensation fund, the settlement set aside $75 million for baseline medical exams and $10 million for concussion research and education.³

Who Qualifies as a Class Member

The settlement class covers three groups. First, retired players who appeared on any NFL, AFL, or affiliated league roster and retired — formally or informally — before July 7, 2014. Second, authorized representatives acting for deceased, incapacitated, or incompetent players. Third, derivative claimants such as spouses, parents, and dependent children with legal standing to sue based on the player’s injuries.⁴

Current players are not covered, and neither are individuals who tried out but never made a roster. Vesting under the NFL Retirement Plan is not required. The registration deadline was August 7, 2017, and more than 20,500 class members have registered.⁵²

Qualifying Diagnoses and Payout Amounts

Six diagnoses pay under the settlement. The maximum awards, before any reductions, are:

ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease): $5 million
Death with CTE, diagnosed post-mortem: $4 million
Parkinson’s disease: $3.5 million
Alzheimer’s disease: $3.5 million
Level 2 neurocognitive impairment (moderate dementia): $3 million
Level 1.5 neurocognitive impairment (early dementia): $1.5 million

Those maximums apply to players diagnosed before age 45. Awards fall sharply with age at diagnosis. A player diagnosed between 75 and 79 might receive as little as $40,000 for early dementia, and up to $1 million for ALS.⁴

Several other factors reduce payouts. Fewer than five eligible seasons brings a reduction between 10 percent (for 4.5 seasons) and 97.5 percent (for zero seasons). A prior stroke, or a severe traumatic brain injury unrelated to football, triggers a 75 percent reduction unless the claimant proves by clear and convincing evidence that it was unrelated to the qualifying diagnosis. Skipping the Baseline Assessment Program and being diagnosed after your BAP deadline brings a 10 percent reduction, except for ALS. Derivative claimants receive 1 percent of the player’s award. Awards may increase by up to 2.5 percent annually for inflation.⁴

There is also a “Level 1” neurocognitive impairment classification for moderate cognitive decline. It does not pay. It acts as a monitored baseline; if the player’s condition worsens to a qualifying level within the 65-year lifespan of the program, compensation becomes available.⁴

How to File a Claim

All class members must register through the settlement website. Claims are administered by BrownGreer, which handles intake, processing, and payment, and which coordinates with the court and the special masters overseeing the program. BrownGreer was also appointed as the Baseline Assessment Program administrator in 2023 and as the Lien Resolution Administrator in September 2025.²

The settlement requires the claims administrator to audit 10 percent of all claims monthly, both randomly and in response to specific concerns. To limit “forum shopping,” players must generally use doctors within 150 miles of their primary residence, and cannot use physicians who previously served as expert witnesses for the player’s attorney.⁶

Speed has been a persistent problem. A ten-year status report filed in May 2025 found the average wait for a baseline neurological appointment had been reduced to 134 days, and that more than $1.3 billion had been paid to 1,846 former players since active claims processing began in 2017.⁷ A separate December 2024 report by The Washington Post found that claims were frequently delayed and denied, and that players’ social media activity was being used to challenge their claims.⁸

The court has also acted on predatory lending against class members. High-interest loans offered to players by commercial lenders in exchange for a piece of the eventual payout became common enough that the court capped interest rates on loans against settlement payouts at 10 percent, with repayment routed directly to lenders.⁷

Race-Neutral Rescoring for Black Former Players

In 2020, former players Najeh Davenport and Kevin Henry filed a discrimination lawsuit alleging that the settlement’s cognitive testing used “race-norming” — demographic adjustments that assumed Black players had lower baseline cognitive abilities than white players. The practical effect was that Black players had to show greater cognitive decline than white players to qualify for the same payout.⁹

The lawsuit was dismissed, but the judge ordered the parties into mediation. In October 2021 the NFL and player class counsel reached a tentative agreement to eliminate race-based adjustments and rescore prior tests using race-neutral formulas.¹⁰ Judge Anita B. Brody formally approved the change on March 4, 2022, allowing thousands of Black former players to have their claims reconsidered.¹¹

By August 2022, 646 Black former players had been rescored: 61 qualified for new or increased payments, and 246 qualified for a pre-dementia diagnosis granting access to NFL-funded medical treatment. More than 2,400 additional players still had the option to be re-evaluated.¹² A May 2025 report from the special masters put the final tally at 308 former players who qualified for additional benefits through the race-neutral rescoring.⁷

Fraud in the Program

Fraud has followed the settlement almost from the start. Judge Brody appointed a special fraud investigator in December 2018 after allegations that physicians and former players were manipulating claims. Early episodes involved a Florida-based firm found to have forged medical records and issued high-interest loans in exchange for assignments of settlement claims, and a testing operation called the Neuropsychiatric Institute whose claims were all denied without prejudice after irregularities in its protocols.⁶

The largest fraud case surfaced in late 2025 and centered on Parkinson’s diagnoses. After tips reached the claims administrator, an audit report issued on December 12, 2025 identified what the special masters later called an “organized scheme” involving five law firms: Douglas Grossinger, Attorney at Law; Feder Law, LLC; Pro Athlete Law Firm, P.A.; Syme Law, PLLC; and Reppert Oates & Vytell, LLC.¹³

According to the audit and the special masters’ ruling, the firms recruited retired players and steered them to doctors not approved by the settlement program. Those outside doctors — including one who performed eight initial evaluations without board certification or specialization in movement disorders — issued Parkinson’s diagnoses, often after a single visit, on brief templated reports. The firms then had players prescribed symptom-masking medications such as levodopa before their examinations by settlement-approved physicians, who deferred to the outside records rather than performing independent evaluations. The firms also spread claims across offices to avoid triggering audits from any single firm.¹³¹⁴¹⁵

The scheme touched 98 claims. Fifty-seven had already been approved and paid, totaling more than $95 million from the fund, with the five firms collecting roughly $20 million in attorney fees. Four had been denied or withdrawn. The remaining 37 were still pending.¹

On June 8, 2026, the special masters filed a 51-page ruling in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. They found a “reasonable basis” for the fraud determination, barred all five firms from further participation in the settlement program, denied the 37 pending claims, and directed the claims administrator to reject any future claims involving the non-qualified doctors who took part in the scheme. Players whose claims were denied may seek new evaluations from approved physicians. The claims administrator was also ordered to develop additional safeguards for Parkinson’s diagnoses.¹³¹

The special masters warned that the scope may be larger than what has been identified, saying the final dollar figure “may end up being materially higher.” The ruling is not a criminal complaint; while the special masters noted they have the authority to refer findings to federal authorities, no such referral has been publicly indicated as of June 2026.¹³¹⁴ None of the named lawyers or firms responded to media requests for comment.

Where the Program Stands

As of mid-2026, the fund has awarded more than $1.6 billion across approximately 2,100 claims, with over 17,300 baseline assessment appointments scheduled since the program began active operations.¹² It remains uncapped. Parkinson’s claims will now face heightened scrutiny; the special masters’ ruling states that the scheme has “cast doubt on every Parkinson’s Disease Claim going forward.”¹⁶ Retired players who believe they have a qualifying diagnosis, or who were previously rescored under the race-neutral formula, can register or update their claim through the settlement website and pursue evaluation through an approved physician.

1
The Washington Post. NFL Concussion Settlement Parkinsons
2
BrownGreer. NFL Concussion Settlement
3
PBS. Judge Approves NFL Concussion Settlement
4
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. NFL Concussion Settlement Exhibit 1
5
NFL Alumni. Concussion Settlement Registration
6
Brooklyn Law School Sports and Entertainment Law Blog. NFL Concussion Settlement Five Years Later
7
The Philadelphia Inquirer. NFL Concussion Settlement Program Problems
8
The Washington Post. NFL Brain Injuries Players Compensation
9
ABC News. NFL Class Counsel Poised to Remove Race Norming From Concussion Settlement
10
The Washington Post. NFL Players Race Norming Concussions
11
The New York Times. NFL Race Norming Concussions Settlement
12
The Washington Post. NFL Race Norming Settlements
13
The New York Times / The Athletic. NFL Concussion Settlement Fraud Parkinsons Disease
14
ESPN. Five Law Firms Accused of Defrauding NFL Concussion Fund
15
ABC News. Law Firms Cheated Filing Claims With NFLs Billion Concussion Settlement Fund
16
Sportico. Retired NFL Players Parkinsons Claims