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Nearly three years ago, the N.F.L. and lawyers for thousands of retired football players agreed on a deal to compensate all former players who had neurological diseases linked to repeated hits to the head, helping the league to move on from one of the most contentious issues facing the nation’s most popular sport. But it took an appellate court ruling Monday to affirm the deal, which potentially provides retirees up to $5 million each, and all but closed the door on future challenges by players in the matter. (Belson, 4/18)

In a statement, an NFL spokesman called the appeals court decisions “a significant step in implementing the clubs’ commitment to provide compensation to retired players who are experiencing cognitive or neurological issues.” The settlement would cover more than 20,000 NFL retirees for the next 65 years. The league estimates that 6,000 former players, or nearly three in 10, could develop Alzheimer’s disease or moderate dementia. (Dale, 4/18)

Dr. Linda Papa, an emergency physician at Orlando Regional Medical Center, started researching concussions more than a decade ago, when the topic wasn't as popular as it is today. She would get frustrated when trauma patients came in with possible concussions but the imaging and physical exams showed no sign of damage in the brain. She would end up discharging the patients, wondering if they would develop symptoms days or months later. She began to search for a tool that would reveal the otherwise-invisible damage to the delicate brain cells. (Miller, 4/18)