NFL Ordered to Reimburse Hall-of-Famer's Estate
US District Judge William Quarles Jr. ordered the NFL Player Retirement Plan and the NFL Player Supplemental Disability Plan to pay the estate of Mike Webster for all benefits owed retroactive to the time of his permanent disability in 1991. No actual figure was set, but the judge ordered the league and the estate to come up with a figure in 25 days; any figure also included interest on the payments, the judge also ruled.
Webster – who played center for the
Pittsburgh Steelers from 1974-89 – passed away in 2002 at
the age of 50, according to the AP.
According to the suit, he played 177 consecutive games
and was diagnosed with brain damage resulting from the
long-term head trauma he sustained during his football
career. Doctors ruled that he had multiple head injuries
and a “dementing illness” as a result of playing
football. After football, Webster was homeless at times
and could not hold down a job because of the effects of
his football injuries.
Webster applied for “total and permanent disability
benefits” under the NFL plan, but was denied such
benefits in 1999. He appealed several times, but his
requests were denied, according to the AP. He died while
another appeal was pending.
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