The NFL reached a massive settlement with more than 4,500 former players on Thursday who had sued the league over the long-term effects of head trauma. While some players are satisfied with the outcome, others feel that the NFL simply bought its way out of trouble. Former Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George gave a more unique perspective.
During an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Friday, George said he is not convinced the lawsuit or ensuing settlement accomplishes much. In fact, he wonders if some former players who were involved were just in it for the money.
“Was the motive from the players’ side finding a real solution to concussions, or is it about receiving the money?” George asked, via Pro Football Talk. “Because if you have symptoms as a player, and you’re going through issues, with the post-career, and you’re having issues with concussions, what is the money going to solve? What is $100,000 going to solve for you? Is it going to provide the care, are you going to find solutions to your problems?
“That’s what kind of bothered me about the whole situation: What is the real motive behind it? Because there are some players out there, quite frankly, that could be playing the game of trying to get the money.”
One of George’s former teammates, Kevin Mawae, took a different approach on Thursday, questioning the integrity of the league and calling the settlement “hush money.” George said he believes the issue should be more about research than anything.
“I don’t see a win for the players,” he told Patrick. “It’s not about the money. It’s about the research.”
In my opinion, both are right. I refuse to believe that some of the 4,500 players weren’t just in it for the money. That’s just the reality of human nature. As for the NFL, they also got off easy. Rather than drag out an investigation and risk revelations that teams were negligent, the problem goes away. The settlement was very much about business and money for both sides.
