Not so. The case was settled out of court because the NFL was confident it would win in court. The medical proof definitively linking concussion in the NFL to later medical conditions may not have held up.
The money has to be spread over 4000 players and will actually be apportioned according to the seriousness and urgency of the medical conditions; much of it will be paid out over 17 years and little will be left for another main aim (additional medical research).
The real clincher comes in two parts - the NFL made a staggering US$9.5 billion in America last year alone. The settlement also allowed it to insert a disclaimer saying it admitted no liability and made no admission that the plaintiffs' injuries were caused by football.
It has shut down the issue before the NFL season kicks off and the settlement means it has to make no changes at all.
You wonder how long it will be before a New Zealand or Australian rugby or league player or players take out a suit against their parent bodies. Better, perhaps, to put a strict medical code of conduct in place that reduces that risk and, more importantly, the risk to players.