SmashMouth

Three-quarters of a billion dollars might not be enough to pay former NFL players for damage from the bone-jarring, brain-rattling hits they took on the gridiron, a federal judge said Tuesday.

Although the league and some 4,800 former players agreed on a $765 million settlement - a pool which would pay individual players as much as $5 million for neurological problems suffered during their careers - the deal needs the approval of U.S. District Judge Anita Brody. In Tuesday's procedure, Brody expressed concern the money could fall short and the rules governing who is eligible could be too restrictive. She asked for more financial details from the parties, a week after players' lawyers filed a lengthy payout plan.

Brody noted that the plan could have to be stretched to cover nearly 20,000 men for 65 years as more come forward with injuries. The proposed awards would reach $5 million for athletes with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease; $4 million for a death involving brain trauma; and $3 million for dementia cases.

But if 20,000 players were to divide the entire pool evenly, it would amount to just $38,000 per player.

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