SI Names Turner and Wooden as two of NFL's most influential people
Yesterday, Sports Illustrated named Kevin Turner and Shawn Wooden, class representatives for the NFL concussion settlement, as two of the most influential people for the 2015 NFL Season. In their MMQB (Monday Morning Quarterback) countdown to the 100 most influential people, Sports Illustrated places them at number 50 and includes an opinion piece by Turner and Wooden, in which they warn that appeals will delay benefits for suffering retired players. They write: “We can only hope that the tiny minority of retired players who oppose this agreement will allow our long wait for benefits to finally come to an end.”
Here is the article they wrote:
During our football careers, we fought for every inch. In retirement we have done the same, specifically by working to secure benefits related to the concussions and long-term neurocognitive injuries faced by retired players. After fighting for years in court, a landmark settlement was reached to provide long-term security and care for those suffering from conditions ranging from dementia to ALS, as well as for those who are healthy now but fear what the future may hold. A federal judge approved the settlement in April, bringing us closer than ever to finally obtaining these benefits. More than 99% of retired players and their families have decided that the settlement is the best course of action. Yet a small group of retired players have decided to appeal the settlement—which means that those in desperate need must now wait months and possibly more than a year for the appeal to be resolved before the settlement becomes effective. Unless the appeals are dropped, they will not be considered by the court until the fall, with a decision to come at some point thereafter. Meanwhile, many retired players suffer from conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS. The settlement would provide them immediate compensation. It will also provide compensation to a retired player who develops one of these qualifying conditions over the next 65 years. Many more retired players fear that years of head impacts are beginning to take their toll. The settlement offers a baseline assessment for all retired players—a critical benefit considering many lack adequate health care. This too is delayed until appeals are resolved. We hope that those appealing the settlement understand that their choice means that once-strong men, cut down by ALS in their prime, must wait even longer for the benefits we have already fought for years to obtain. Those afflicted with dementia, at disturbingly young ages and at rates much higher than the general population, must wait. Widows who lost their husbands, often the family’s sole breadwinners, must wait. We have all waited long enough. But as in football, the last moments of any game—even when success is close—often take the longest. We can only hope that the tiny minority of retired players who oppose this agreement will allow our long wait for benefits to finally come to an end. Until then, we are determined to keep fighting.
—Kevin Turner and Shawn Wooden
