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Ben Lynch, an offensive lineman who spent four years with the San Francisco 49ers, has filed suit against the NFL's disability plan, which is administered jointly by the league and the NFL Players Association.

The suit arises from the fact that Lynch has yet to receive a ruling from the plan's appeal board, even though he made the request on September 29, 2006. Under the federal law that governs disability plans, responses to appeals are required to be made in a timely manner.

He tore an ACL during training camp with the Texans in 2003, had it surgically repaired, and developed a staph infection. Following removal of the new ACL and multiple additional surgeries, Lynch developed "complex regional pain syndrome," which causes random burning pain sensations.

The lawsuit will likely get far more attention now than it would have received a year ago, given that the disability plan has become a major point of contention for former players, prompting a Congressional subcommittee hearing earlier this week. And, frankly, it's good to see that Lynch is willing and able to take advantage of the legal avenues available to address problems with the process, in lieu of having a guy like Mike Ditka spout off in a language that remotely resembles English.


so is this gonna be a new trend for former nfl players. to sue and get more money? Did they not know that playing football was a risk of getting an unjury?

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