Rice and Weatherford joined a list of players who will donate their brains . The NFL has been criticized for its handling of concussions in recent years as the league continues to grapple with player safety concerns. NFL players officially registered 111 concussions during the 2014 regular season , down from 148 in 2013 . The NFL is close to finalizing a $ 1bn settlement with roughly 4,500 former professional football players over brain-related injuries .
Rice and Weatherford joined a list of players who will donate their brains . The pair made the announcement at a press conference in celebration of Brain Injury Awareness Month . NFL players officially registered 111 concussions during the 2014 regular season , down from 148 in 2013 . The NFL is close to finalizing a $ 1bn settlement with roughly 4,500 former professional football players over brain-related injuries .