History shows homecomings for stars like Adrian Peterson can be a mixed bag

World Politics Entertainment Gossip Movies TV Music Theater Arts Crosswords Entertainment Pics Horoscopes Daily Weekly Monthly Lifestyle Health Food Viva Opinion Autos Buyer's Guide Ratings Reviews News Views Photos Galleries Covers Classifieds Trending: STEPHEN MILLER ANTHONY SCARAMUCCI JARED KUSHNER MTA OPIOID NATION Updated: Monday, April 18, 2016, 2:57 PM A federal appeals court approved the NFL's billion dollar concussion settlement on Monday, but football players suffering from head injuries shouldn't start watching their mail for a check any time soon. Holdouts who are dissatisfied with the settlement's terms may further appeal the case, delaying payouts for more than 8,000 retired players who are said to have sought benefits. Court of Appeals for the Third District upheld the settlement in a 69 page opinion that came almost a year after a federal judge approved the deal struck between the league and thousands of players who filed a class action suit over pro football's effect on their brains. "This settlement will provide significant and immediate relief to retired players living with the lasting scars of a NFL career, including those suffering from some of the symptoms associated with CTE," wrote the panel of judges, referring to chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which afflicts an unknown number of players. MYERS: FOOTBALL WILL ALWAYS BE VIOLENT BUT WHO WILL PLAY? Roger Goodell's biggest issue as commissioner is the brain health of current and former players. (Julie Jacobson/AP) Christopher Seeger, who represents thousands of retired players in Cheap China Jerseys a massive class action suit, said the court had "exhaustively examined and overruled" arguments from the group of about 150 holdouts. "This extraordinary settlement's implementation has been delayed enough by this small group of objectors," Seeger said. "We hope they will consider the over 20,000 retired players and their families that support this agreement before filing additional appeals that will only extend these delays further." The objectors could yet appeal, possibly by seeking an opinion from the entire Third Circuit court (Monday's decision was produced by a panel of three judges from that court who heard arguments last November). Attorney Michael Kaplen, who filed an amicus brief opposing the settlement on behalf of the Brain Injury Association of America, says "it's not over until it's over." "One of the problems with this settlement is it precludes players from putting the executives of the NFL under oath and doing other discovery to find the truth about their deceitful conduct," Kaplen tells the Daily News. FOLLOW THE DAILY NEWS SPORTS ON FACEBOOK. "LIKE" US HERE. The NFL's record on preventing head injuries is mixed at best. (New York Daily News) Kaplen, who teaches a course on brain injury litigation at The George Washington University Law School, predicts there will be "hell to pay" when former players and their families get payouts that are more limited than what they expected. "My prediction is when the players themselves understand that most of the players will get nothing, and even those that get something will get a lot less than they think they will, there's going to be a revolution," Kaplen says. The settlement, first struck in 2013, has been approved by more than 98% of retired players. It has been revised several times. It covers NFL retirees for the next 65 years, and prevents the plaintiffs from bringing further legal action against the league over head injuries. About 5,000 players sued the league, and they will be unable to do so again if the settlement goes forward. Players who opted out of the settlement can still sue the NFL, and might have more fodder for the complaint after a New York Times report last month that identified more than 100 concussions between 1996 and 2001 that were omitted from studies measuring the scope of the league's problems. In the settlement, wholesale authentic jerseys the NFL admits no fault for the devastating effects of CTE, which can only be diagnosed posthumously. Scores of former football players and other athletes from contact sports have been found to have had the degenerative disease, which results from both major impacts and smaller, "subconcussive" hits. Victims often exhibit increasingly erratic behavior, mood swings, Cheap China Jerseys inability to concentrate, violent tendencies, and depression and suicidal thoughts. In their conclusion to the opinion, the appellate judges in Philadelphia acknowledged the settlement doesn't satisfy everyone, and noted that the objectors had good intentions. "But they risk making the perfect the enemy of the good," they wrote. "This settlement will provide nearly $1 billion in value to the class of retired players. It is Wholesale Jerseys for Christmas, NFL NHL NBA MLB & Soccer a testament to the players, researchers, and advocates who have worked to expose the true human costs of a sport so many love. Though not perfect, it is fair."