NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took issue with the notion that the league's $765 million settlement with former players is a paltry sum compared to the sport's revenues. "This is a significant amount of money," he said Wednesday. "The plaintiffs also agreed it was an appropriate amount. The mediator felt it was an appropriate amount." Goodell made his first public comments since the settlement to the lawsuits was announced last week. More than 4,500 former players, some of them suffering from Alzheimer's disease or depression, accused the NFL of concealing the long-term dangers of concussions and rushing injured players back onto the field. "We were able to find common ground to be able to get relief to the players and their families now rather than spending years litigating," Goodell said at an event in Manhattan to promote February's New York/New Jersey Super Bowl. The settlement was announced last Thursday after two months of court-ordered mediation and is subject to approval by a federal judge. It does not include an admission from the NFL that it hid information from players about head injuries. "We think it's the right thing to move forward and try to do what we can to help our players," Goodell said. Source: Sporting News
