MIRAMAR, Fla. — During his nine years in the N.F.L., Shawn Wooden was a steady, if unspectacular, presence on the field. Selected in the sixth round of the 1996 draft by the Miami Dolphins, he never made it to the Super Bowl, and in all likelihood, he will never be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But Wooden has nevertheless been enshrined among players as an important advocate in the legal battle to secure compensation for retired players who have or may get dementia, A.L.S. and other severe illnesses. Two years ago, lawyers representing 5,000 retirees who sued the N.