The NFL’s employee welfare benefit plans – known as the NFL Disability & Survivor Benefit Plan and NFL Player Disability & Neurocognitive Benefit Plan (the latter formerly known as the Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle NFL Player Retirement Plan) – are designed to provide disability and related benefits to eligible NFL players. We believe, however, that for years the Plan has both 1) breached its fiduciary duties to former players through misinformation and 2) wrongfully denied them benefits to which they were entitled on account of their medical impairments. 

On February 9, 2023, 10 former NFL players filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Maryland against the NFL Player Disability & Survivor Benefit Plan and NFL Player Disability & Neurocognitive Benefits Plan (collectively the Plan), the Disability Board that administers the Plan, and each of the Board’s members, including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (collectively the defendants). An amended complaint further bolstering the plaintiffs’ claims was filed on May 12, 2023. The lawsuit alleges defendants breached their fiduciary duty of loyalty to many former players in violation of the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and separately, wrongfully denied benefits to many former players, in violation of the terms of the Plan.

Given the nature of this lawsuit as a proposed class action, you do not have to sign up with a law firm to be represented in this case. If you are part of the proposed class of former players, you will automatically be included in any class that the court certifies.

If you have any questions about your specific situation, denial, misrepresentations to you, or are interested in sharing your experience with the Plan, please reach out to us.