Ray Easterling, former safety for the Atlanta Falcons from 1972 to 1979, was found dead last Thursday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Easterling and six other colleagues were the first to file a lawsuit against the NFL for the damage they suffered from concussions.

Now 61 lawsuits have been filed by more than 1,260 players for the permanent brain damage they suffered due to concussions they sustained while playing professionally. Easterling’s lawsuit will be changed from personal injury to wrongful death, his lawyer announced this week.

Former athletes are accusing the league of negligence, intentional misconduct, carelessness, and concealment of information about the long-term effects of concussions.

The U.S. government and the widow of a man who was killed in the 2001 anthrax attacks have reached a settlement in the woman’s wrongful death lawsuit. She was awarded an undisclosed amount but was originally demanding $50 million in economic damages.

In 2008, an investigation by the FBI concluded that an Army scientist sent anthrax-laced letters to media outlets and U.S. senators. The widow claims her husband’s death was a result of the government’s failure to secure the disease at a military laboratory.

The man died after being exposed to anthrax in the publishing office of the National Enquirer. A total of five people were killed and seventeen fell ill after handling the anthrax-laced letters.