. >> reporter: i'm thinking of two players, bill pellington and john mackie. silvia said john's playing in the nfl led to his passing away. a complaint joins 80 pending lawsuits against the nfl. hard knocks are part of the nfl and it has made football the nation's most popular sport. it's the nfl taking the hit. players are suing the league in a landmark class action lawsuit claiming that the nfl misled them for decades. >> there's no more focus on the most important part of your body which is your brain. >> reporter: he played full back for the philadelphia eagles. he believes he suffered long term brain damage and is one of the former players filing suit. >> this action is about the retired players getting the help that they need. >> recently the nfl has come under fire for the handling of concussions. down your seau committed suicide in his home. >> now we're hearing about the dark side. >> reporter: the former players say the nfl promote's the game's violence and deliberately and fraudulently concealed the links between the game and brain damages. they're