The first two claims in the N.F.L.’s billion-dollar concussion settlement were announced Thursday, a total of $9 million in benefits.
The Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, which is overseeing the process, was notified Thursday that the claims were approved. The names of the former players were not disclosed as part of the filings.
The payouts were for $5 million for a qualifying diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and $4 million for a qualifying diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Those amounts mean that each individual played a minimum of five N.F.L. seasons and received a diagnosis before his 45th birthday.