NFL sued for benefits; case covers brain injury

Former Denver Broncos safety Christopher Young has sued the NFL Player Retirement Plan, claiming he is owed $345,000 in benefits because of a traumatic brain injury.

Young, a backup between 2002 and 2005, submitted claims of football-induced impairments shortly after his career ended but was denied, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Denver.

Young is seeking benefits after suffering neurological impairments that prevent him from having a full-time job including depression, paranoia, mood swings, memory loss and anxiety, says the lawsuit filed by San Antonio attorney Jeffrey Dahl.

A message left with the NFL benefits office seeking comment was not returned Wednesday.

The Broncos selected Young in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL draft, and he played in 21 regularseason games. On Aug. 13, 2005, Young suffered a knee injury during a preseason game at Houston, according to NFL reports.

Since the end of his NFL career, Young has worked sporadically for the Denver Parks and Recreation Department. He was not able to work full time because of psychiatric impairments. He earned between $8,124 in 2014 and $47,453 in 2017, when his condition improved. “Very lenient supervisors” allowed him to take time off when his depression and anxiety prevented him from working, the lawsuit says.

The NFL retirement board denied Young benefits based on conclusions that his disabling depression and anxiety lasted less than a year and were not permanent, the lawsuit says.

“There is no medical evidence to support the board’s position that the onset date of Young’s disabling depression and anxiety was June 30, 2015,” the lawsuit says.