March 2010 April 2010 May 2010 June 2010 July 2010
August 2010
September 2010 October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011 March 2011 April 2011 May 2011 June 2011 July 2011 August 2011 September 2011 October 2011 November 2011 December 2011 January 2012 February 2012 March 2012 April 2012 May 2012 June 2012 July 2012 August 2012 September 2012 October 2012 November 2012 December 2012 January 2013 February 2013 March 2013 April 2013 May 2013 June 2013 July 2013 August 2013 September 2013 October 2013 November 2013 December 2013 January 2014 February 2014 March 2014 April 2014 May 2014 June 2014 July 2014 August 2014 September 2014 October 2014 November 2014 December 2014 January 2015 February 2015 March 2015 April 2015 May 2015 June 2015 July 2015 August 2015 September 2015 October 2015 November 2015 December 2015 January 2016 February 2016 March 2016 April 2016 May 2016 June 2016 July 2016 August 2016 September 2016 October 2016 November 2016 December 2016 January 2017 February 2017 March 2017 April 2017 May 2017 June 2017 July 2017 August 2017 September 2017 October 2017 November 2017 December 2017 January 2018 February 2018 March 2018 April 2018 May 2018 June 2018 July 2018 August 2018 September 2018 October 2018 November 2018 December 2018 January 2019 February 2019 March 2019 April 2019 May 2019 June 2019 July 2019 August 2019 September 2019 October 2019 November 2019 December 2019 January 2020 February 2020 March 2020 April 2020 May 2020 June 2020 July 2020 August 2020 September 2020 October 2020 November 2020 December 2020 January 2021 February 2021 March 2021 April 2021 May 2021 June 2021 July 2021 August 2021 September 2021 October 2021 November 2021 December 2021 January 2022 February 2022 March 2022 April 2022 May 2022 June 2022 July 2022 August 2022 September 2022 October 2022 November 2022 December 2022 January 2023 February 2023 March 2023 April 2023 May 2023 June 2023 July 2023 August 2023 September 2023 October 2023 November 2023 December 2023 January 2024 February 2024 March 2024
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
30
31
News Every Day |

Doctors call NFL concussion settlement 'junk science'

Doctors call NFL concussion settlement 'junk science'

(NewsNation Now) — In 2017, the settlement companies the NFL hired to administer its concussion settlement contracted Dr. Randolph Evans, a board-certified neurologist in Houston, to examine former NFL players and determine if they have cognitive impairment.

“I examined 395 retired players in about a one-year period, and what I found was that approximately about 30% had cognitive impairment,” Evans said. “Based upon the standards of the settlement, I felt they met the criteria for cognitive impairment and should have received compensation.”

But instead, Evans said when he turned in his claims, a very high percentage of them were appealed by a law firm hired by the NFL. 

“For example, if somebody is driving, they would say that somebody could not have cognitive impairment, which is factually inaccurate. To give you an example, about one-third of people with Alzheimer's disease drive,” Evans said. “So the lawyers, who are not doctors, are making false claims about medical issues.”

Then, they terminated his contract. 

“They just told me that I was terminated and I asked him why. And there was no reason given,” Evans said.

We asked BrownGreer, the firm managing the settlement, why they terminated Evans from the program. In response Tuesday, they said, “BrownGreer terminated Evans’ MAF physician contract because his diagnoses did not comply with the settlement’s injury definitions.”

But in an appeal filed by the NFL, a footnote mentions Evans and says they terminated him based on, “his questionable methodologies, disregard for program rules, and refusal to cooperate or even discuss things with the claims administrator.”

Evans disputes this statement, saying he followed the program rules which changed during the year he was involved.

“They changed the goalposts, if you will, during the one-year period. I had numerous discussions with the program administrators because the rules were confusing,” Evans said. “They did numerous audits of the clients that I saw, in terms of methodologies. I explained why the methodologies were confusing because this is not something that we use in clinical practice, and we were allowed to use our clinical judgment.”

Alex Powers is a neurosurgeon at Wake Forest School of Medicine and has been focused on mild traumatic brain injury in football since 2009.

Powers, like Evans, was hired to evaluate former players for the NFL concussion settlement. Powers says he did his work objectively and the process worked, and the first player he saw, “clearly had issues” so he submitted the paperwork to the NFL.

Afterward, he said he got an email back asking for more documentation, and then another similar request, which he said was “a little odd.” Then, an attorney reached out to him to let him know the claim was denied.

“I was trying to apply these sets of rules to evaluate these players to the best of my ability... I was just trying to be as objective as possible,” Powers said. “You have an independent person saying, yes, they qualify for that based on your rules. I was then shocked to find that they wouldn't accept it.”

Powers said it happened again and again and again, as the four patients he saw received the same answer: no, you do not qualify for the settlement money.

“When the fourth one came back negative or came back with saying that they don't qualify for that particular level of impairment, and they wouldn't talk to me about it, I was like, ‘well... my job here is done, but you obviously don't want my opinion.”

Powers said he terminated his own contract with the NFL settlement.

In April, another doctor testing former players complained to BrownGreer that he felt there is an effort to find ways to deny claims, writing, “I understand the reviewer's job is to find fault with the clinical reports.”

BrownGreer said it made a concerted effort to investigate his criticism but ultimately views it as his personal belief.

Further, BrownGreer stated it has never pressured a program physician, “to find a retired NFL football player either to have, or not to have, a qualifying diagnosis under the terms of the settlement agreement.” 

Jason Luckasevic, an attorney who filed the first lawsuits against the NFL in 2011, brought it to the attention of Chris Seeger, who represents the players in the settlement. 

“I had a conversation with one of his people, they said, ‘well, you know, he's very player-friendly,’ I said, ‘no, I don't know that I've never heard of the guy. This is my first experience with him,’”  Luckasevic said. “So what is that supposed to mean? He's player-friendly. Are you looking for people that aren't player friendly?”

A spokesperson for Seeger, in response to our questions, said class counsel will not get into the details of this, “unfounded accusation.”

In 2017, Seeger promoted this settlement and the testing protocols as state-of-the-art, saying: “We had the absolute best neurologists and neuropsychologists put this together, the absolute best.”

Evans and Powers are not alone. NewsNation has spoken with four other doctors who feel they were terminated because they approved too many players for compensation. They said non-disclosure agreements they signed prevent them from speaking about it.

Dr. Robert Stern, a prominent Boston University psychologist and researcher, wrote a 60-page affidavit slamming the settlement for a number of reasons, including that it excludes CTE, that the test battery is, “not appropriate for evaluating whether retired professional football players have neurodegenerative diseases” and that “the algorithm used to translate test performance into compensable Neurocognitive Impairment categories is arbitrary, nonstandard, and not supported by any scientific literature.”

Ultimately, Stern said it will, “deprive persons with documented cognitive deficits of compensation.” 

“I think if a knowledgeable neurologist, neuropsychologist, designed evaluations to figure out who has cognitive impairment are related to repetitive concussions, this evaluation would not be the way to do it,” Evans said.

Powers says while the original documents are “very clear” about what makes a player qualify, “it was very clear that that is not in fact what happened.” 

“The problem is, neurologists and neuro-psychologist are being asked to administer a legal settlement to determine cognitive impairment,” Evans said.

In the seven years since the NFL concussion settlement has been established, the NFL reports 20,558 registered class members, just over 3,200 claim packages received and less than 1,300 players have been paid.

“I don't think it's been fair to the players. I've had many players who I feel have cognitive impairment where the claims have been denied and they still haven't been paid,” Evans said. 

“As a neurologist has been doing this for 40 years, and I think speaking on behalf of many of my colleagues in neurology and neuro-psychology, this settlement is based upon junk science,” Evans said.

Москва

Тема дня: В РФ на комплексную модернизацию центров занятости направят 5,2 млрд рублей в 2025 году

Top 10 Love Affair Movies of the 2000s and 2010s

Top 10 Emmanuelle Seigner Movies

Top 5 Websites to Watch FREE Movies - TV Shows (No Sign up!)

The 10 Intense New Action Movies on Netflix That Left Me on the Edge of My Seat!

Ria.city






Read also

Photos: BKFC 59 weigh-ins and fighter faceoffs

Another Port of Baltimore-bound cruise ship changes course to Norfolk

Fragile South Sudan risks turmoil over oil disruption: experts

News, articles, comments, with a minute-by-minute update, now on Today24.pro

News Every Day

Top 10 Love Affair Movies of the 2000s and 2010s

Today24.pro — latest news 24/7. You can add your news instantly now — here


News Every Day

The 10 Intense New Action Movies on Netflix That Left Me on the Edge of My Seat!



Sports today


Новости тенниса
WTA

Азаренко вышла в полуфинал турнира WTA-1000 в Майами



Спорт в России и мире
Москва

Блиц-матч по шахматам между двумя командами провели в павильоне «Спорт для каждого»



All sports news today





Sports in Russia today

Москва

«Радио Зенит» – информационный партнер форума «Мы вместе. Спорт»


Новости России

Game News

Красочное приключение Lona: Realm Of Colors перенесли на смартфоны


Russian.city


Москва

Число ДТП с автомобилями каршеринга в столице снизилось на 27%


Губернаторы России
Сергей Собянин

Удалось спасти: Москва не потеряла в больницах ни одного человека после теракта, сообщил Собянин


Metaratings: "Спартак" может уволить Абаскаля по ходу сезона, клуб ищет тренера

Шапки женские вязаные на Wildberries, 2024 — новый цвет от 392 руб. (модель 466)

Заказать недорогой ремонт шкафов купе в Москве и Московской области

В Москве отметят юбилеи Кира Булычева, Александра Беляева и Клиффорда Саймака


“Настя — не из дешёвых женщин”, – У Волочковой появился молодой ухажёр с серьёзными намерениями

На ЧЭРЗ приступили к реорганизации производственной площадки

В Госдуме заявили, что россияне не примут соболезнования приспособленцев вроде Макаревича*

Шапки женские вязаные на Wildberries, 2024 — новый цвет от 392 руб. (модель 466)


Теннисистка Александрова оказалась сильнее полячки Швентек на турнире WTA в США

Азаренко вышла в полуфинал турнира WTA-1000 в Майами

Виктория Азаренко вышла в полуфинал турнира WTA-1000 в Майами

Чесноков оценил шансы Александровой в борьбе за выход в финал турнира WTA в Майами



Пассажир рейса Москва — Пермь попал в реанимацию

Архитектурные доминанты округов Москвы

Перенос дат II этапа культурного проекта «Классика: история и современность» в Дмитрове

Шапки женские вязаные на Wildberries, 2024 — новый цвет от 392 руб. (модель 466)


Актера Свиридова госпитализировали из-за инфицирования после операции в Москве

Выпуск ЦФА на платформе «Атомайз» поможет снизить нагрузку на экологию

Раньше срока. Собянин: новая развязка улучшит движение для 600 тыс. человек

Продвижение Песен и Музыки в Плей-листах Яндекс.Музыка.


Посол: США рассматривают отношения с Арменией с позиции противостояния России

Участники «Школы мэров» в Ставропольском крае обсудили развитие городов

Собираем урожай! Дынное дерево заплодоносило в «Аптекарском огороде»

Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris — Done With Bonaparte



Путин в России и мире






Персональные новости Russian.city
Сергей Рахманинов

Скульптура Сергея Рахманинова украсит музыкальную школу в Кисловодске



News Every Day

Top 5 Websites to Watch FREE Movies - TV Shows (No Sign up!)




Friends of Today24

Музыкальные новости

Персональные новости