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The Non-Billable Hour

Tackling CTE: The Second Half

Ep. 16

Episode 16: In the second half of the NBH Team’s exploration into CTE and the litigation resulting therefrom, Dan, Beth, and Joe follow their game plan by beginning with a discussion focused on the lawsuit that started it all – Maxwell v. NFL. Throughout the episode, Beth shows off her knowledge and legal prowess by, essentially, reading Dan’s mind before he discusses the relevant points. Joe forgets the definition of almost every legal term except for “discovery” (figures). And Dan does a great job of ensuring that Beth and Joe stay on task (a commendable and thankless job). He also teaches them how to pronounce “Tinnitus” (tin-uh-tis). The NBH team goes through the “X’s and O’s” of the NFL players’ core offensive onslaught against the NFL, while discussing the NFL’s defense(s) against those claims, and the fact that over 4,000+ former NFL players joined the litigation, as well as the billion dollar, uncapped settlement fund set aside to pay out CTE-related claims (basically the price of a one-minute ad during the Superbowl). The team gets into whether or not the NFL honored the terms of the settlement agreement (Uhm, kinda? Was there a system in place that may have chosen not to connect former players’ cognitive deficits with their playing days in order to avoid making settlement payments? Maaaaybe). As they make their way to the endzone, the team also discuss their views on the NFL (generally positive; some not as much) and whether or not the NFL will survive as more parents become aware of the dangers associated with playing football.

 

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Intro Track: "Liquid Sky"

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Outro Track: "At The End Of It All"

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