Appeals court upholds $1B NFL concussion settlement

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld an estimated $1 billion plan by the NFL to settle thousands of concussion lawsuits filed by former players, potentially ending a troubled chapter in league history.

The decision released Monday comes nearly a year after a district judge approved the revised settlement and weeks after an NFL official speaking to Congress acknowledged for the first time a definite link between football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the brain decay found in dozens of former players after their deaths.

Critics appealing the settlement had argued that any deal include future payments for CTE. The appellate judges acknowledged their concerns but found…