Report: Older players may be cut from NFL concussion lawsuit settlement

Concussions continue to be an issue in the NFL even though a lawsuit was settled last month. (AP Photo/Don Wright)

Players who were among some of the first to be diagnosed with football-related brain damage are likely to be shut out of the NFL's $765 million proposed concussion settlement, ESPN.com reports.

The report states that the proposed settlement would disqualify most players who died before 2006, and that some players and attorneys worry there is not enough money to cover all eligible players diagnosed with football-related brain injuries. The NFL declined comment on the report.

Last month, the league and more than 4,500 retired football players settled a case in which the players claimed that the NFL hid risks involved with playing football.  The NFL agreed to pay $765 million plus legal costs, but admitted no wrongdoing.

Other highlights of the settlement included the stipulation that individual awards would be capped at $5 million for players suffering from ALS, Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease.

"It is a very valid concern," said Jason Luckasevic, a Pittsburgh attorney who filed the first concussion-related lawsuit against the NFL in 2011 and represents about 500 former players. "It would appear as though there are not enough funds for those that are injured."