The National Football League has pledged $10-million to pay the medical needs of former players and is working out a plan to provide them with subsidized assisted living, after facing heavy criticism for how it treated its retirees, reports The Sun, in Baltimore.

The league had come under fire for ignoring disabled, needy former players who suffered from ailing joints and brain damage, likely resulting from their years on the field. Many could not afford to pay medical bills on a small pension from the NFL. This new pledge is in addition to the $7-million initially promised in an effort to help former players.

“While this sounds like a big number, it’s meant to be seed money, to stimulate and spur other resources,” says Harold Henderson, chairman of the NFL management council and the leader of the new programs.