Why 10 former NFL players including Willis McGahee and Jason Alford are suing Roger Goodell, chief of league’s disability benefit program

Ten former NFL players have filed a federal lawsuit against the league over its “unscrupulous” disability benefits program. According to the suit filed by the retired players Thursday in Baltimore against the league’s benefit plan, its board of trustees, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, the league used “unscrupulous tactics” to deny disability claims and limit payments to players.

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They are accusing the league of lies, bad faith, and flagrant violations of federal law in denying disability benefits in a potential class-action lawsuit filed Thursday in Baltimore.

It alleged the board “members have engaged in repeated and substantial derelictions of their responsibilities, have repeatedly refused to pay contractually mandated benefits, and have statistically proven conflicts.”

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Among the plaintiffs are running back Willis McGahee, a two-time Pro Bowler with a long injury history, and former New York Jets safety Eric Smith, who suffered over a dozen concussions.

“Once we stop playing, we’re all used up. We deserve to be taken care of,” McGahee said.

“We are not just going to sit back and just let it all fall down on us and take the beating,” he said.

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The other plaintiffs are Lance Zeno, Joey Thomas, Charles Sims, Alex Parsons, Jamize Olawale, Michael McKenzie, Daniel Loper, and Jason Alford.

“The NFL likes to pretend like they care about player safety, but it’s only when something big-time happens in a game they are like ‘oh yeah, we’ll fix this’,” Eric Smith said during a press conference.

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“But once it’s past and all the media has given up on that, they don’t care anymore,” he added.

The lawsuit came just before the Super Bowl and a month after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during a regular season game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin was admitted to the hospital for several days and ultimately released, but may not play football ever again.

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Goodell said the NFL’s system is extraordinary and designed not to be exploited.

“You don’t want people to benefit from it that don’t qualify for it because it takes away from people who do qualify for it,” he added. The society is demanding class action status to include thousands of other former players.