Dan Marino files concussion lawsuit against NFL
PHILADELPHIA - Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino is among the latest group of football players to file a concussion-related lawsuit against the National Football League.
The 52-year-old former Miami Dolphins quarterback, and frequent CBS News contributer, is one of 15 former players who filed a lawsuit in federal court in Philadelphia last week.
Marino and the other 14 plaintiffs join more than 4,800 others who have alleged the NFL misled players about the long-term dangers of concussions. The NFL has denied those claims.
The lawsuit doesn't specify any medical problems suffered by the plaintiffs including Marino, who retired in 1999. It seeks unspecified damages and medical monitoring.
The NFL and the original group of players agreed on a $765 million settlement last August. But the settlement was rejected by a federal judge in January, fearing it may not be enough to cover 20,000 retired players.
U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody asked for more financial analysis from the parties, a week after players' lawyers filed a detailed payout plan.
"I am primarily concerned that not all retired NFL football players who ultimately receive a qualifying diagnosis or their (families) ... will be paid," Brody wrote in a 12-page opinion issued Tuesday.
The proposed settlement, negotiated over several months, is designed to last at least 65 years.
The awards would vary based on an ex-player's age and diagnosis. A younger retiree with Lou Gehrig's disease would get $5 million, those with serious dementia cases would get $3 million and an 80-year-old with early dementia would get $25,000. Retirees without symptoms would get baseline screening, and follow-up care if needed.