Duerson family will not appeal the NFL Concussion Settlement
According to the Associated Press, the family of Dave Duerson has decided that they are not going to appeal the approved NFL Concussion Settlement.
Their lawyer, Thomas Demitrio, said the family does not want to obstruct or delay the financial awards being distributed to the retirees that are in dire need of assistance.
Demetrio says the Duersons and his other clients will support the plan for the sake of nearly 20,000 NFL retirees.
Christopher Seeger, co-lead counsel for the retired NFL player plaintiffs said, "The Duerson family and their attorney Thomas Demetrio, who is one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs’ lawyers, have been fierce and courageous advocates for the retired NFL player community. It speaks volumes that they believe it is in the best interest of all retired players not to file an appeal. We hope other objectors follow their example and avoid filing thoughtless appeals, so that retired NFL players may soon begin taking advantage of this settlement’s benefits.”
In addition to wanting to help former players that need immediate assistance, I think Thomas Demetrio and the Duerson family also looked at their chances of successfully appealing Judge Brody’s order and decided that the odds were not in their favor.
I applaud the Duerson family for making this critical decision and I hope that other former players who are thinking about appealing the Settlement will look at this unselfish act and do the right thing.
I also applaud those former players that opted out of the Settlement and have decided to pursue their own litigation against the NFL. They understood the risks of going back to court, but they also understood that they would not be holding up the Settlement for the 20,000 players that have decided to accept the benefits of the Settlement.
As most of you already know, an appeal has been filed by Craig Heimburger, but in light of this news, I hope he will reconsider his appeal.
We can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, but some former players may never get a chance to step into the light if this Settlement is continually delayed.
The NFL retired player community and history itself will look favorably on the Duerson family for their decision not to appeal the settlement. By doing so, they are allowing the monetary awards for our most needy alumni brothers to begin flowing.
