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PHILADELPHIA - The family of the late NFL star Junior Seau plans to object to the proposed US$765 million settlement of player concussion claims because the fund would not pay wrongful death claims to survivors. Although the players lawsuits accused the NFL of concealing known concussion risks, there would be no blame assessed as part of the settlement, and no punitive damages for pain and suffering. "Mr. Seaus children have their own claims for the wrong the NFL did to them. His children are not suing for their fathers pain and suffering, they are suing for their own," lawyer Steven M. Strauss wrote in a court filing Friday that signalled the familys intent to pursue an individual lawsuit. Other potential critics to the settlement reached by players lawyers and the league are also starting to emerge — and the judge overseeing the case has herself expressed doubts the sum is big enough. About 50 plaintiffs lawyers met in New York last week to learn more about the settlement from the lead lawyers, but some left dissatisfied. "This could be a great settlement, this could be a terrible settlement, but I dont know," said Chicago lawyer Thomas A. Demetrio, who represents 10 players, including the family of the late Dave Duerson, a four-time Pro Bowler who mostly played with the Chicago Bears. Duerson fatally shot himself in the chest, leaving his brain intact for autopsy. Like Seau, he was diagnosed with CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. An honours graduate and trustee of the University of Notre Dame, he was 50 when he died, which would factor into his familys payout. "His estate will receive $2.2 million. Thats not adequate," Demetrio said. U.S. District Judge Anita Brody, who must weigh the deal, also wants more actuarial details than filed with the settlement papers. She preliminarily rejected the plan last month, questioning whether $765 million will be enough to fund about 20,000 claims involved for 65 years, as promised. The architects of the plan argue that the players could end up with nothing if the lawsuits are thrown out of court. The NFL had argued that the claims belonged in arbitration. The retirees would also have to prove their injuries came from NFL concussions, and not those suffered earlier. "The retired player community has provided overwhelming support for this agreement, and we look forward to finalizing it soon so they can begin taking advantage of its benefits," lead lawyers Christopher Seeger and Sol Weiss said in a statement Monday that recognized the work of other lawyers on the case. The NFL settlement, if approved in court, would be capped at $4 million on behalf of players diagnosed after their deaths with traumatic brain injury. The payments could go as high as $5 million for younger men with Alzheimers disease, but many more plaintiffs with mild dementia would get $25,000 or less under the deal. Demetrio wants to know how much of the NFLs payment will come from insurance, and why the lawyers would split another $112 million, when the case did not reach discovery or trial. The NFLs annual revenues top $9 billion. "Its very, very unusual ... for all the plaintiffs to not know whats going on," Demetrio said. "Theyre acting like the Lone Ranger." The Seau Family, meanwhile, is also concerned that the deal calls for a stay on individual suits until all appeals are finalized with the settlement. "Junior Seaus children could be forced to wait years for justice, while the NFL continues to make billions of dollars and the memories of witnesses grow ever more distant," the filing said. The NFL, which on Monday joined two U.S. lawmakers in pushing for legislation to help protect student athletes from concussions, declined comment Monday on the Seau familys objections. . -- The Sacramento Kings have signed first-round pick Nik Stauskas to his rookie contract. . In a matchup of teams battling head-to-head for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccers Western Conference, the Whitecaps run to the post-season took a hard hit when FC Dallas blew open a tie game with two goals in the final minutes for a 3-1 victory Saturday night. . With a win tonight, Buehrle will match Yankees ace Masahiro Tanaka for the most wins in the majors with 11. Buehrle is 10-4 with a 2.32 earned run average, but has lost his last three starts, including a 7-3 setback at Yankee Stadium last Wednesday. . With timely hitting and good pitching, the Marlins are one win away from sweeping the slumping Houston Astros. . The Tinkoff-Saxo rider was still dealing with the right shin he broke in a crash which ended his Tour de France on Stage 10. He hoped to defy his doctors and race in the home Grand Tour he won in 2008 and 2012, but he says there have been complications in his recovery. DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Brett Cecil walked into spring training last year with his career in limbo. The Toronto left-hander seemed far removed from his breakout season of 2010, when he posted a team-high 15 wins despite not making the 25-man roster out of camp. Instead, he was fresh off two years of disappointment. Hed bounced back and forth between the Blue Jays and Triple-A, going a combined 6-15 while getting demoted from the rotation. Cecil knew that if he didnt show improvement, his days in Toronto would be numbered. "There was a big discussion before the beginning of spring last year whether he was even going to make the team," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Saturday. That doubt forced the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Cecil to make a change. He began throwing a weighted baseball during pitching drills to help strengthen his arm and build velocity. It worked. After several strong outings, Cecil was informed in the final days of camp that hed made the final cut. As a reliever, in fact. Cecil took advantage of that opportunity and went 5-1 with a 2.82 ERA and one save. He was also picked as an American League All-Star for the first time. Cecil pitched in 60 games, striking out 70 in 60 2-3 innings. He signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract in the off-season. The 27-year-old Cecil said last years experience changed his mindset and made him appreciate what he has. "Completely different," he said. "Im fairly certain that I have a spot on the team. Obviously, I have to perform, but its a little bit more pressure taken off not being on the bubble." Though Cecil performed well early on in 2013, he began to wear down during the second half of the season. Extra work with the weighted-ball routine and the added stress of having to continuously prove himself took a toll on his body. In September, soreness developed in his shoulder and prematurely ended his season. "I just needed rest," Cecil said. "It was a combinattion of a different role, different workload and overdoing the ball program a little bit.dddddddddddd" Cecil said he is now completely healthy and understands where his limits are. He said it will be much easier to dial it back when he needs to instead of constantly going full-bore all the time. "I just dont want any red flags to be thrown up, but I am going to be a lot smarter about the time I take throwing," Cecil said. "When I feel like I really need the work, if I feel like I need to take a day, I said Im going to take a day." "(During batting practice on Friday) they told me I had 25 pitches, and I said I dont need 25 pitches, Ill do 20. If I can throw 20, Im sure I can get five more in a game down the road. I dont need that right now. I need 20 or so and that would be it. Right now, its just saving as many bullets as I can for August, September and, hopefully, October." Gibbons agreed and said it will take that approach from Cecil to help the bullpen succeed. "He had a heck of a year," Gibbons said. "Hes found a role, he likes that bullpen role and hes very good at it. The big thing is always going to be durability, because the good ones get used a lot. Hes got to be conscious of that. He can be a hero, but he also has to understand that to be good in this business." NOTES: Gibbons said LHP J.A. Happ will start the Blue Jays exhibition opener on Wednesday in Clearwater against the Philadelphia Phillies. ... RHP Liam Hendriks, claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, joined the team. ... Japanese-born SS Munenori Kawasaki said he will cheer for the Canadian mens hockey team during its Olympic gold-medal game against Sweden on Sunday. Kawasaki said he predicts a win for Canada, because his son, Issho, was born in Toronto last year. "I love Canada," Kawasaki said. "I think Canada wins 2-1. Yes, perfect. Sounds good. Lets go, Canada." ' ' '
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