Sports
Related: About this forumEx-NFL players consolidate 80 pending lawsuits against league
Associated Press / June 7, 2012
PHILADELPHIA -- A concussion-related lawsuit bringing together scores of cases has been filed in federal court, accusing the NFL of hiding information that linked football-related head trauma to permanent brain injuries.
Lawyers for former players say more than 80 pending lawsuits are consolidated in the "master complaint" filed Thursday in Philadelphia.
STORY: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8020190/former-nfl-players-say-league-hid-brain-injury-links
Plaintiffs are asking the NFL to be responsible in the care of players suffering from:
Dementia
Alzheimer's
Other neurological conditions
Medical monitoring
According the article, the suit accuses the NFL of "mythologizing" and glorifying violence through the media, including its NFL Films division.
Time's up: the league and owners have no choice but to accept accountability and work with the players union in funding supplemental medical insurance. This needs to include treatment for mobility problems as well as head trauma. And (if not already underway), a thorough study of preventative measures and equipment upgrades.
TZ
(42,998 posts)That seven of the players considered the "Greatest Redskins players" have joined the suit. When you get someone like Art Monk joining in here you got to think the NFL is seriously in trouble here.
trotsky
(49,533 posts)Clearly no one could have (or should have!) been surprised that the jarring collisions in football could have the same effect. I just don't think anyone took it very seriously.
Former players are worried and rightly so. It's going to be tough though, I think, to prove the NFL knew all the possible effects and their extent and didn't take technologically possible steps to alleviate them. I mean, we didn't have special concussion-reducing helmets in the 60s and 70s, they just didn't exist, so it would be hard to fault the NFL for not providing them. That kind of thing.
Auggie
(31,252 posts)but that's not the biggest issue nor the most actionable, IMO -- preventative measures and immediate treatments are. BTW, the TV deals in place total about $3 billion a year. Add proceeds from luxury suites, concessions, apparel, ticket sales and parking. A small percentage of all that would be enough.
I don't expect the NFL to admit liability or collusion. But they could say, in effect, that it's time for owners and players to draft plans to seriously address long-term care and prevention.
LINK: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/nfl-completes-tv-deal-with-fox-cbs-and-nbc-totaling-about-3-billion-per-year/2011/12/14/gIQARJdmuO_story.html
JonLP24
(29,322 posts)if the NFL didn't conduct a study lying about the effects of concussions to the players & congress.
Either way, ignorance is generally not a valid excuse. Like "We didn't know those solvents are employees worked with were toxic"