The Sports Xchange

A federal judge on Wednesday approved a settlement between the NFL and retired players that will require the league to pay an unlimited amount for concussion-related medical conditions over the next 65 years.

The settlement approved by U.S. District Judge Anita Brody would pay about $190,000 per person on average, with some eligible for as much as $5 million, depending on age and severity of condition.

The settlement applies to all players who retired by July 7, 2014.

The decision concludes a case that included hundreds of lawsuits by more than 5,000 former players who had sought compensation for head trauma suffered while playing.

About 200 former players or their families rejected the settlement and plan to sue the league individually. Among them is the family of Junior Seau, the former All-Pro linebacker who killed himself in 2012. Seau suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Retired players with CTE are among those eligible for greater benefits, according to the agreement. In February, Brody had told the sides to increase those payouts. She had twice rejected deals over concerns that the proposed $765 million fund would run out. The sides then removed that cap.

“Today’s decision powerfully underscores the fairness and propriety of this historic settlement,” said Jeff Pash, the NFL’s lead attorney. “Retirees and their families will be eligible for prompt and substantial benefits and will avoid years of costly litigation that — as Judge Brody’s comprehensive opinion makes clear — would have an uncertain prospect of success.”