NFL Concussion Fund Pays Out $485M, But Legal Fights Resume

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The NFL concussion fund has paid out nearly $500 million in its first two years, but some players’ lawyers say there aren’t enough doctors in the approved network to evaluate dementia claims.

They went to court Tuesday to oppose a rule to require retired players to be tested by doctors within 150 miles (241 kilometers) of home to prevent “doctor shopping” and suspected fraud.

Fund administrator Orran Brown said ex-players from around the country had flocked to four doctors now dismissed from the program who had “high-volume” traffic and some suspect findings.

“We didn’t notice it until the claims were coming in,” Brown said. “Forty-six million dollars went out the door on these claims before we could flag it.”

Retired players can seek awards of as much as $3 million for moderate dementia and $1.5 million for mild dementia, although most men would get far less based on their age and years in the league. The settlement resolves thousands of lawsuits that alleged the NFL long hid what it knew about the risk of concussions.

Senior U.S. District Judge Anita Brody, who has overseen the case since 2011, suggested the travel limit is needed to prevent abuse.

“A few were brought to my attention where we had a lawyer from Pennsylvania and a player from Florida going to a doctor in Texas. And that was a red flag,” Brody said.

Philadelphia lawyer Gene Locks, who represents some 1,100 retired players, urged Brody not to adopt the rule, saying his clients agreed to the settlement believing they could choose their own doctors.

“They had bad experiences with the NFL benefit program, both during their playing time and after their playing time, when they felt they were used and abused, and were not going to the doctors they wanted to,” Locks argued.

He said there are at least 30 different subspecialties of neurology, only a few of them well-suited to evaluate his clients.

Brown acknowledged he’s still trying to recruit doctors in some parts of the country for the program. He suggested Brody adopt the 150-mile (241-kilometer) rule but allow him to grant exceptions. The fund, expected to pay out more than $1 billion over 65 years, has paid out $485 million so far, and another $174 million in claims have been approved, Brown said.

The NFL has appealed about 30% of the approved claims, but closer to 15% if the four doctors removed from the program aren’t counted, according to players lawyer David Buchanan.

If someone wants to travel “to see a world-renowned physician, or a world-renowned neuropsychologist, they should have that right,” Buchanan said.

Lawyers for the NFL monitored the hearing but did not take part in Tuesday’s arguments.

The settlement, forged in 2013 and later amended, offers more than 20,000 retired players baseline testing and compensation of up to $5 million for the most serious illnesses linked to football concussions, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and deaths involving chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

Many of the more serious — and more straightforward — claims were settled in the first years of the program.

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This story has been corrected to show that lawyer David Buchanan said “neuropsychologist,” not “neuropsychiatrist.”

PA State Lawmaker Seen On Video Berating An Abortion Protester Vows To ‘Do Better’

A Pennsylvania state lawmaker who has drawn criticism for a recording of himself berating a woman who was protesting abortion outside a Philadelphia clinic promised Tuesday to “do better.”

Democratic state Rep. Brian Sims posted a two-minute video on Twitter that said “two wrongs don’t make a right.”

“As an activist and an advocate, I know why pushing back against harassment and discrimination are a must, even when they’re uncomfortable, but last week I wasn’t a patient escort,” Sims said, referring to a volunteer role he has performed in the past. “I was a neighbor and a concerned citizen and I was aggressive. I know that two wrongs don’t make a right and I can do better and I will do better for the women of Pennsylvania.”

In the video shot last week outside a Planned Parenthood facility in his district, Sims peppered the unidentified woman with comments and questions, calling her actions disgusting, racist and shameful. The woman largely ignores him, at one point taking a rosary out of her bag.

The chairman of the state Republican Party, Val DiGiorgio, made public a letter he sent Tuesday to city, state and federal prosecutors, asking them to investigate what he called potentially criminal conduct in that video and another.

In the second video, Sims asked viewers to identify three young females he described as protesters and “pseudo Christians” outside the Planned Parenthood clinic. He offered a reward for the information, promising to donate $100 to Planned Parenthood.

A spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney William McSwain declined to comment. A request for comment has been made with the state attorney general’s office. A spokesman for the city district attorney said their office is reviewing the issue.

“Not only does Rep. Sims, a former collegiate-level football quarterback, use physical intimidation, but he also threatens people with so-called ‘doxing’ or enticing viewers to provide identifiable information about his targets to increase the harassment and intimidation of his victims,” DiGiorgio wrote.

In the latest video, Sims said he has lived near the clinic for 15 years and served as a volunteer patient escort.

“I will fiercely protect a woman’s right to make the best choices for her health (and) her body, unimpeded,” he wrote on Twitter.

Sims, in Harrisburg for a legislative voting session, did not respond to several messages left over the past two days.

A senior Republican in the state House, Appropriations Chairman Stan Saylor of York County, said Tuesday that Sims should apologize.

“Further I believe his actions warrant an investigation by the House Ethics Committee,” Saylor said in a news release. “The actions taken by Rep. Sims are serious and are a concern to public safety.”

Several Hundred Rally In Harrisburg To Raise Sales Age For Tobacco In PA

Several hundred young people are urging lawmakers in Harrisburg to increase the sales age for tobacco in Pennsylvania. More than 600 members of the Tobacco Resistance Unit spoke with lawmakers prior to a rally Tuesday at the state capital. The group wants the age raised from 18 to 21 for all tobacco products. It’s reported 12 other states have already made a similar move.

Proposal To Expand Private School Tax Credit Program Moving On From State House

A proposal to expand a private school tax Credit program is moving on from the state House of Representatives. The measure nearly doubles the Educational Improvement Tax Credit and would expand eligibility limits for families looking to qualify for the private school scholarships created by the program. Representative Matt Gabler (R-Clearfield & Elk) supported the legislation and said the expansion will help to allow more students to access the educational programs they need…

All House Republicans and four Democrats voted in favor of the measure.

Missing 90-Year-old Man From Hopewell Found Safe

A missing 90-year-old man from Hopewell Township is found safe. Family members hadn’t seen William Palumbo since his vehicle was spotted near the Steubenville Pike Eat-‘N-Park in Robinson Township Tuesday afternoon. Police aren’t saying where Palumbo was found or what led to his disappearance.

6 People Displaced After Fire At Apartment Building In Rochester

Six people are displaced after a fire broke out late last night at an apartment building in Rochester. When firefighters arrived at the scene on Riverview Street, they saw flames coming from a third-floor window. Fire officials say the fire started in the living room of an apartment. The six people who were displaced are receiving assistance from the Red Cross. Two cats were also displaced.

Route 18 Brodhead Road Traffic Shift Begins Today in Monaca

PennDOT District 11 is announcing a traffic shift on Route 18 (Brodhead Road) in Monaca Borough began today. Beginning at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Route 18 traffic will be shifted into two 10-foot wide lanes on the bridge over Markeys Run between Old Brodhead Road and the railroad overpass continuously through Friday, June 21. Crews will conduct concrete patching and a latex placement on the bridge. The work is part of an $11.86 million improvement project on Route 18 between the Rochester-Monaca Bridge and the new I-376 Monaca/Shippingport interchange.  Additional work includes guiderail upgrades, drainage work, shoulder repairs, and signal updates.