Hamiltonwants revised proposal redone

Concussion-related settlement plan not OK to former Bronco

Apparently, Ben Hamilton’s brain falls into a gray area that the recent NFL concussion litigation settlement does not recognize.

A former Broncos starting guard, Hamilton is among seven former NFL players who have filed an objection in a Philadelphia federal court to a recently revised concussion settlement proposal.

Last year, the league and nearly 4,500 former players reached a tentative $765 million settlement to cover their medical costs. That proposal was rejected in January byU.S. District JudgeAnita Brody.

A revised settlement proposal reached two weeks ago would remove the $765 million cap.

But the seven players in their objection cite a complicated and restrictive payout system while lawyers collect excessive fees.

The seven players, each of whomsuffered numerous concussions while playing in the NFL, are represented by Steve Molo, who is asking Judge Brody to refuse the proposed settlement for a second time. Molo contends that as the settlement guidelines are written, his clients would not qualify for payouts because their conditions have not deteriorated into a chronic state.

“It’s not necessarily an adequate settlement in that they’re not recognizing these other effects of traumatic brain injuries,” Hamilton said. “It’s complicated stuff when you’re talking about the brain. People learn a little bit more about it every day.

“These seven people are not going for a money grab. It’s more about awareness, identifying some of the affects from concussions that’s just not about the debilitating stuff.”

The former NFL players who have joined Hamilton in objecting to the proposed concussion settlement are SeanMorey, Alan Faneca, Robert Royal, Rock Cart- wright, Jeff Rohrer and Sean Considine.

Hamilton, 36, was selected by the Broncos out of the University of Minnesota in the fourth round of the 2001 draft. He was a starter for Denver, mostly at left guard, from 2002-06 and from 2008-09.

About thatmissing year: During training camp in 2007, Hamilton suffered a severe concussion that forced him to miss the entire season. He played a final year with the Seattle Seahawks in 2010, though at midseason he suffered another major concussion. This time, the brain injury not only ended his season, it marked the end of his 10-year career as a player.

There are residual symptoms from those concussions that continue to affect Hamilton.

“I do have stuff,” he said. “Cognitively, I feel pretty good. But there are secondary effects that I had no idea I would be dealing with in this part of my life.”

Those issues include memory, sleep, irritability and moodiness.

But Hamilton still has his wits about him. He soon will begin his second year as a Valor Christian High School math teacher.

Put it this way: Hamilton is sharp enough to understand he probably wouldn’t get a dime from the NFL’s current proposed settlement.