A federal judge has approved a plan to resolve concussion lawsuits brought by more than 5,000 former players that could cost the league $1billion over 65 years. The deal comes after the league has been dogged for years by complaints that it long hid the risks of repeated concussions in order to return players to the field. The NFL expects 6,000 of nearly 20,000 retired players to suffer from Alzheimer's disease or moderate dementia someday. The settlement approved on Wednesday by a federal judge in Philadelphia would pay them about $190,000 on average. Senior US District Judge Anita Brody (left) approved the deal on Wednesday after twice sending it back to lawyers over concerns the fund might run out. Former Philadelphia Eagles fullback Kevin Turner (right) suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease and led the lawsuit against the NFL . The settlement also includes allowing for monetary awards of up to $5million per claimant for serious medical conditions associated with repeated head trauma. Senior U.S. District Judge Anita Brody approved the deal after twice sending it back to lawyers over concerns the fund might run out. The negotiators did not increase the original $765million plan, but agreed to remove that number as the cap. The deal means the NFL may never have to disclose what it knew when about the risks and treatment of concussions. Players' lawyers have argued that the settlement will help families get needed financial awards or medical testing that might take years if the case went to trial. The league expects 6,000 of nearly 20,000 retired players to suffer from Alzheimer's disease or moderate dementia someday. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (above) has been criticized for not doing enough to prevent players from getting concussions . The league's top lawyer said Brody's approval 'powerfully underscores the fairness and propriety' of the settlement. '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,' NFL general counsel Jeff Pash said in a statement. The total NFL payouts over 65 years, including interest and $112million sought for lawyer fees, is expected to be more than $1billion. Critics contend the NFL is getting off lightly given annual revenues of about $10billion. However, plaintiffs would have first had to fight their way into court — instead of getting booted to NFL mediation under their players' contracts — to prevail. About 200 NFL retirees or their families have rejected the settlement and plan to sue the league individually including the family of former New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau (above) Seau (above) committed suicide at his San Diego-area home in 2012 after several years of increasingly erratic behavior. An autopsy showed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE . 'From a business point of view, (the NFL has)...avoided what may have been the biggest risk to their continued prosperity,' said Andrew Brandt, director of the sports law program at Villanova University law school. 'Removing this as a threat is extraordinary,' he said. The NFL lawsuits, and similar suits filed later against the NHL, the NCAA and others, has fostered debate, discussion and safety reforms about sports concussions. Yet the NFL games seem to be as wildly popular as ever. 'I know people talk about, it's dangerous, and mothers won't let their sons play football. But I don't see that. I don't see that at all,' Brandt said. About 200 NFL retirees or their families have rejected the settlement and plan to sue the league individually. They include the family of Junior Seau, the popular Pro Bowler who killed himself at his San Diego-area home in 2012 after several years of increasingly erratic behavior. An autopsy showed he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. The NFL earlier this year said concussions have dropped by 36 per cent after they changed the way players tackle (above David Bruton #30 of the Denver Broncos lies on the ground in pain in 2014) Brody most recently asked for several tweaks, including partial credit for time played in NFL Europe and other developmental leagues, to broaden the settlement. Negotiators quickly agreed to her suggestions. She rejected other complaints raised at a November hearing, including those who say the agreement does not cover future deaths from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease that can only be diagnosed after death, or contemplate the day when it might be diagnosed in the living. Others oppose the award reductions for older men and those who played fewer than five years in the league. 'Although objectors insist that there must be compensation for CTE, the NFL parties were unwilling to settle claims based solely on a (diagnosis) ... rather than on manifest neurocognitive deficits,' the lead negotiators wrote in a March court filing urging Brody to approve the deal. 'Many of the behavioral and mood conditions claimed to be associated with CTE are prevalent within the general public.'
Senior US District Judge Anita Brody approved deal on Wednesday .
Settlement includes allowing for monetary awards up to $5million per claimant for serious conditions connected to repeated head trauma .
NFL expects 6,000 of nearly 20,000 retired players to suffer from Alzheimers disease or moderate dementia someday .
Wednesday's settlement would pay them about $190,000 on average .
About 200 NFL retirees or their families have rejected the settlement and plan to sue the league individually .