Former Eagles linebacker, Frank LeMaster, struggled to get compensation from the NFL

Few Eagles players embodied the toughness of Dick Vermeil’s teams as well as linebacker Frank LeMaster, a gregarious Pro Bowler who started 136 consecutive games for the team. LeMaster worked nearly two decades, until he was 68, as a regional sales manager for a synthetic turf company. By then, his wife, Marylou Robinson, noticed that LeMaster had become forgetful — first about simple things, like where he’d put his wallet and keys. “But then,” she said, “it got more severe.” LeMaster started to show signs of a movement disorder, falling repeatedly. He was evaluated in 2020 by the settlement program’s doctors, who diagnosed him with dementia. The doctors, however, disagreed about the severity of LeMaster’s illness, which led to his claim being reviewed, then rejected.