Less than 24 hours after it was reported that Dan Marino joined 14 other former NFL players in suing the league over concussions, the former Miami Dolphins quarterback announced that he was withdrawing his name from the suit. But it gets even better than that: Marino’s lawyers are saying they will investigate to figure out how their client’s name was included in the suit in the first place!
“It was never Marino’s intention to initiate litigation in this case, but to ensure that in the event he had adverse health consequences down the road, he would be covered with health benefits. They are working to correct the error,” a source said to the Sun-Sentinel.
If you’re a regular reader of LBS, then there’s no way you’re buying that excuse, because you can surely see the B.S. dripping from that statement. The real likely explanation for him doing the about-face is that he was surprised to receive so much backlash and is caving under public pressure.
The Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero says Marino was not expecting the backlash and the questions he received regarding the timing of the suit; Marino recently was let go by CBS’ NFL coverage and is looking for a job with the Dolphins. He is hoping the suit wouldn’t cloud his future with the team.
Now that all makes much more sense. When we first learned about the lawsuit, our initial reaction was to think that there was some convenient timing behind the suit since he’s no longer with CBS. It seems like that was the case.
But if you believe the statement from the lawyers, then you need to understand that the settlement being negotiated with the league is for all people who file a claim against the league. Marino reported two concussions during his career and would want to be medically covered for the future.
