Roger Stone accused of ‘peddling conspiracy theories’ about NFL concussion settlement

Roger Stone seems to have a lot on his plate right now, just weeks after pleading not guilty to seven felony charges in relation to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into President Trump’s Russia ties.

But none of that has prevented the longtime political operative from continuing to weigh in on another unrelated topic: the NFL’s concussion settlement with retired players. He doesn’t like it, and he’s not hesitant to share his feelings on the topic.

The co-lead counsel representing the players in the case thinks there’s something fishy about Stone’s involvement in the manner.

Christopher Seeger alleged in a filing with U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania this week that Stone has been “peddling conspiracy theories and trash-talk about the settlement” in collaboration with another lawyer who represents a small group of players.

Stone has blasted the settlement through such outlets as the Infowars podcast, the Daily Caller, Gateway Pundit, his own website and social media.

He said in a text message to the Wall Street Journal: “No one pays me anything to point out that the NFL has not lived up to its responsibility under the settlement to pay its veteran brain injured players. The NFL should be ashamed.”

In the court filing, Seeger alleges that Florida-based attorney Patrick Tighe has attempted to “sow the ‘media’ with misinformation and baseless conspiracy contentions” and "appears to be a go-to source for Roger Stone."

"I have nothing to do with Roger Stone," Tighe told USA Today. "I have not hired Roger Stone and he's not an agent of mine."

Tighe represents about 90 former players, including former Seattle Seahawks defensive back Cornell Webster. On Instagram earlier this week, Stone shared an image of an old football card featuring Webster and commented:

“When will Roger Goodell and the NFL keep their commitment to pay their veteran players suffering from traumatic brain injury? (Tbi) 88% of injured players are African American. Stop the racism and pay up!”

The concussion settlement, reached in 2015, compensates some players suffering from a variety of conditions. It could be worth more than $1 billion, or significantly less. Roughly 200 players opted out of the agreement — Webster was not one of them.

Tighe tweeted out a link to Stone’s Instagram post featuring Webster.

Asked why Stone has become so outspoken about the concussions settlement, with a particular interest in Webster’s case, Tighe told USA Today, “Your guess is as good as mine.”