The NCAA has reached a settlement with former athletes regarding management of concussions and provide $75 million for medical monitoring and research.
The settlement does not include damages for the four plaintiffs and other former athletes, which had been sought in the initial lawsuit. Instead it allows for players to files separate personal injury lawsuits.
As part of the agreement, the NCAA would require member schools make changes to their concussion-management policies and institute return-to-play guidelines. Currently, the association only requires that schools have concussion management plans on file but it does not outline what should be in those plans and has not punished schools for not following them.
The settlement also establishes a 50-year medical monitoring program for all current and former NCAA athletes in any sport a class which includes several million people with $70 million going for screening for long-term damage and $5 million going to research.
“We have been and will continue to be committed to student-athlete safety, which is one of the NCAA's foundational principles,” NCAA Chief Medical Officer Brian Hainline said in a statement. “Medical knowledge of concussions will continue to grow, and consensus about diagnosis, treatment and management of concussions by the medical community will continue to evolve. This agreement's proactive measures will ensure student-athletes have access to high quality medical care by physicians with experience in the diagnosis, treatment and management of concussions.”
