Just when it looked like all the NFL's legal issues were wrapping up, several former players hit the league with a lawsuit claiming that it concealed the risk of concussions to players. The 75 former players claim that "the NFL knew as early as the 1920s of the harmful effects on a player's brain of concussions; however, until June of 2010 they concealed these facts from coaches, trainers, players and the public." Former Dolphins receiver Mark Duper, former Giants and Cardinals running back Ottis Anderson, and former Giants running back Rodney Hampton are all among the 75 plaintiffs that say the NFL knowingly hid information about the long-lasting effects of concussions and brain injuries.
According to the players in the lawsuit, the NFW commissioned a report in 1994 called NFL Committee on Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. In 2004 the NFL said there was "no evidence of worsening injury or chronic cumulative effects" from multiple concussions, but in June of 2010 went back on those statements and acknowledged that too many tackles and concussions can cause serious brain injuries and conditions like chronic traumatic encephalopathy. As a Fort Worth brain injury attorney, I know that in order for these players to be successful, they must prove that the NFL knew, or should have known, the lingering, chronic effects of concussions.
There has been so much in the news about brain injuries lately and just in the last few years have we really found out just how dangerous concussions can be. If the NFL did in fact conduct a study and new that these injuries had such long-lasting damages, then these players are definitely doing the right thing in holding the league responsible. But unfortunately, they must prove that the NFL knowingly hid that information from players - which will be difficult to show.
At my personal injury law firm in Fort Worth, we represent all kinds of accident victims, including those who have suffered traumatic brain injuries from car wrecks, motorcycle accidents or any other type of mishap. Please give us a call if you think you need legal representation for you or a loved one's brain injury.
