Former NFL players accuse league of withholding concussion settlement payments

Families and lawyers of former NFL players say they've faced numerous roadblocks in their efforts to access concussion settlement money, Ken Belson of the New York Times reports.

Former players diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, and other maladies have not received the payments that were promised to be readily available when needed.

While players have had to dig for paperwork when filing a claim, the league argues the requests are meant to deter fraud.

"This is not a settlement. This is about paying sick men as little as possible," said retired defensive lineman Andrew Stewart.

To this point, more than 1,400 players have filed claims. They're seeking up to $5 million each. Only 140 claims have been approved.

Orrin Brown, an administrator of the settlement, said much of the claims that have returned to the players have been for missing paperwork.