PHILADELPHIA -- The NFL agreed Wednesday to remove a US$675 million cap on damages from thousands of concussion-related claims after a federal judge questioned whether there would be enough money to cover as many as 20,000 retired players. Lucas Hernandez Jersey . A revised settlement agreement filed in federal court in Philadelphia also eliminates a provision that barred anyone who gets concussion damages from the NFL from suing the NCAA or other amateur football leagues. In January, U.S. District Judge Anita Brody had denied preliminary approval of the deal because she worried the money could run out sooner than expected. The settlement, negotiated over several months, is designed to last at least 65 years and cover retired players who develop Lou Gehrigs disease, dementia or other neurological problems believed to be caused by concussions suffered during their pro careers. More than 4,500 former players have filed suit, some accusing the league of fraud for its handling of concussions. They include former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett and Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon, who suffers from dementia. "This agreement will give retired players and their families immediate help if they suffer from a qualifying neurocognitive illness, and provide peace of mind to those who fear they may develop a condition in the future," plaintiffs lawyers Christopher Seeger and Sol Weiss said in a statement. The original settlement included $675 million for compensatory claims for players with neurological symptoms, $75 million for baseline testing and $10 million for medical research and education. The revised settlement eliminates the cap on overall damage claims but retains the payout formula for individual retirees. A young retiree with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrigs disease, would receive $5 million, a 50-year-old with Alzheimers disease would get $1.6 million, and an 80-year-old with early dementia would get $25,000. Even with the cap removed, both sides said they believe the NFL will spend no more than about $675 million to ex-players. Brody will decide later whether to accept the new settlement terms. Critics of the deal have said the league, with annual revenues topping $9 billion, was getting off lightly. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the settlement avoids the risk of a protracted legal battle. The proposal does not include an admission from the NFL that it hid information from players about head injuries. "Todays agreement reaffirms the NFLs commitment to provide help to those retired players and their families who are in need, and to do so without the delay, expense and emotional cost associated with protracted litigation," NFL Senior Vice-President Anastasia Danias said in a statement. Hugo Lloris France Jersey .ca. The NHL Play of the Year showdown kicks off with some slick moves going head-to-head with a combination of soft hands and endless patience. Blank France Jerseys .com) - Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri is expected to miss the next two weeks because of a thigh injury.With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up is the Anaheim Ducks, who look to take that next step towards Cup contention with new centre Ryan Kesler in the fold. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Buttons analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Pacific GM:Bob Murray Head Coach: Bruce Boudreau 2013-14: 54-20-8 (1st in Pacific) Playoffs:Lost in Second Round Goals For:263 (1st) Goals Against:203 (9th) PP:16% (22nd) PK:82.2% (13th) That Was Then: Last season was arguably Anaheims most successful since winning the Stanley Cup in 2007. The Ducks flourished last October, going 10-3-1 and getting stellar goaltending from 24-year-old Frederik Andersen. He posted six straight wins in his first six NHL games and kept Anaheim hot in November. By December, the Ducks kept running along, going 11-1-1 while riding a season-high 10-game winning streak. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry were on a tear, combining for 30 points in 13 games. Anaheim followed that up with an even more impressive January. The Ducks posted eight straight wins following their 10-game winning streak. From Dec. 6 to Jan. 15, they collected 36 out of a possible 38 points winning 18 of 19 games. The Ducks clinched their second straight Pacific Division title on Apr. 10 with a win against the San Jose Sharks. They capped off the regular season by clinching the Western Conference crown on Apr. 12 with a shootout win against the Los Angeles Kings. Anaheim finished the season with their best record in franchise history at 54-20-8. They set club records for wins (54) and points (116) in a season. The Ducks also finished one point behind the Boston Bruins in the race for the Presidents Trophy. Once again, the duo of Getzlaf and Perry carried the brunt of the offensive load. The captain finished the season second in the league with 87 points while Perry followed suit with 82 and finished second to only Alexander Ovechkin with 43 goals. Andersen managed to impress, going 20-5 with a .923 save percentage and 2.29 goals against average, but he wasnt the only rookie goalie netminder in the organization that made noise. Twenty-one-year-old John Gibson was called up in April when Andersen went down with an injury and had the same positve effect as the Dane. He went 3-0 with a 1.33 goals against average in his short stay with the team. The Ducks faced the Dallas Stars in the first round of the playoffs, taking a 3-0 series lead only to see the Stars climb back within one. Nick Bonino, however, sent Anaheim to the second round with the overtime-winner in Game 6 of the series. The second round posed a tougher challenge with the Kings. The Kings took a quick 2-0 series lead and Gibson was called upon again for Game 4. Head coach Bruce Boudreau made a risky move by starting the young goalie, but the gamble paid dividends. Gibson backstopped the Ducks to two straight wins - including a shutout - and propelled Anaheim to a 3-2 series lead. But just like Kings did throughout the 2013 playoffs, they erased the deficit eliminating the Ducks in Game 7. Scott Cullens Analytics Ducks 2013-14 stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 3.35 2.35 10.6% .932 53.5% .775 21-41 2.95 2.48 9.0% .918 50.3% .714 42-62 3.38 2.10 9.5% .937 49.1% .714 63-82 3.15 2.85 10.2% .914 51.9% .625 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8% .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Very good possession stats coupled with dominant percentages had Ducks flying from the get-go. Games 21-41: Possession and goaltending slipped, as did shooting percentage, but Ducks were still finishing at a high rate. Games 42-62: Subpar possession was overwhelmed by exceptional percentages, including their best run of goaltending for the season. Games 63-82: Jonas Hiller struggled late, so save percentage dipped, but Ducks kept winning with improving possession numberrs and exceptional finishing. Zinedine Zidane France Jersey. Key 2014 Additions: Dany Heatley, Ryan Kesler, Jason LaBarbera, Clayton Stoner, Nate Thompson Key 2014 Subtractions: Nick Bonino, Jonas Hiller, Saku Koivu, Mathieu Perreault, Stephane Robidas, Luca Sbisa, Teemu Selanne, Daniel Winnik This Is Now: The Ducks made a lot of changes during the off-season to become stronger in the ever-competitive Western Conference. The biggest move was the acquisition of Ryan Kesler from the Vancouver Canucks. With Getzlaf and Kesler, Anaheim gets a potent one-two punch at centre. Kesler also adds size to a squad that was lacking in that department a season ago. The Michigan native has scored 20-plus goals in six of the last seven seasons and helps a power play that was ranked 22nd overall last year. However, Anaheim gave up their third-leading scorer of last season in the deal, moving Bonino, along with Luca Sbisa. With the departures of Mathieu Perreault, Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu, the Ducks added depth up front with winger Dany Heatley on a one-year contract. The two time 50-goal scorer looks to rejuvenate his career and may have a chance during the season to play alongside Perry and Getzlaf. They also solidified their defence adding Clayton Stoner to a squad that already boasts youngsters Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm. The Ducks also let Jonas Hiller sign with the Calgary Flames, so the young tandem of Andersen and Gibson will duel for the starting job in goal this season. Jason LaBarbera was added on for goaltending depth. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Patrick Maroon Ryan Getzlaf Corey Perry Kyle Palmieri Ryan Kesler Andrew Cogliano Matt Beleskey Rickard Rakell Jakob Silfverberg Devante Smith-Pelly Nate Thompson Emerson Etem Dany Heatley William Karlsson Tim Jackman Louis LeBlanc Nicolas Kerdiles Stefan Noesen Defence Left Right Cam Fowler Ben Lovejoy Hampus Lindholm Francois Beauchemin Sheldon Souray Sami Vatanen Clayton Stoner Bryan Allen Mark Fistric Jesse Blacker Shea Theodore Josh Manson Goaltenders Frederik Andersen John Gibson Jason LaBarbera TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: Nicholas Ritchie is that rare player with the size, power and skill to play any way the game dictates. He strikes an imposing figure, but he can just as easily skate past a defender as power by one. Goalie John Gibson is eligible for the 2014-15 Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, but is rated a lock for the Ducks roster so hes not considered a candidate for the teams top prospect. But John has been a dominant goalie in junior, winning a U-18 Gold, World Junior Gold and World Championship Bronze all before the age of 20. He debuted in the NHL last season, including playoff starts and on a team built to contend for a Stanley Cup, he has the capability to backstop them to a championship. Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch Patrick Maroon It took time for Maroon, a power forward, to stick in the NHL, playing only 15 games prior to last season, but he was able to score and put up penalty minutes in the American Hockey League, scoring more than 20 goals four times and registering more than 100 penalty minutes three times. He didnt burst onto the scene last year, either, scoring seven points in 25 games through the end of December, but then opportunities started coming for Maroon, and he started to produce. He earned more ice time, even getting chances to play with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry on the Ducks top line and he finished with a flourish, scoring 15 points in his last 18 regular season games. If Maroon can earn and extra couple of minutes of ice per game, he could be in position to jump significantly from last years 11-goal, 29-point rookie season. Cheap Nike NFL JerseysWholesale Jerseys 2020Wholesale Authentic JerseysWholesale Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaWholesale NFL Womens JerseysChina NFL Jerseys ' ' '