The NFL is being sued by 25 former players who said the league is responsible for permanent and severe brain damage suffered by players who receive concussions while on the job. The latest complaints were filed in Miami and Atlanta the week before Christmas and are the latest in a string of lawsuits launched by former players against the league.
The Miami suit was filed on Dec. 22 on behalf of 21 players including Oronde Gadsden and Patrick Surtain, former teammates with the Miami Dolphins. The suit alleges that the NFL deliberately concealed or omitted evidence over the years that link concussions to long-term neurological disorders. The former NFL’ers are seeking a trial by jury along with unspecified damages. The NFL denied the latest accusations and said player safety has always been the league’s priority.
The players replied that the league didn’t let them know how serious their head injuries were and tried to get injured players back on the field as quickly as possible even though they knew there could be long-term effects. The lawsuit said the league created a committee if doctors and medical researchers to study the issue back in 1994.
The former players said instead of using an independent committee the league used medical professionals who were associated with the NFL and they didn’t consult with a neurological specialist. In 2003 the committee published the results of its research and said there wasn’t any long-term risk to players after receiving concussions. Some of the committee members were replaced in 2010 and the new members said the findings of the research lacked in science.
The suit in Atlanta, which was filed just a day before the one in Miami, was filed by Dorsey Levens, Jamal Lewis, Ryan Stewart, and Fulton Kuykendall. The players said the NFL knew that players were at risk due to head injuries, but did nothing to protect them and didn’t inform them of the risks involved. The former players also claimed the NFL put together a hand-picked health committee to study the effects of concussions and head trauma.
The players’ lawyer said the NFL has known for years that head injuries could result in brain damage, but have only acknowledged this medical evidence recently. The four ex-players who filed the Atlanta suit said they have all suffered from things such as dementia, sleeplessness, and headaches since retiring from the league. However, the lawyer also admitted most players took part in the sport during their days in high school and college so it’s hard to single out the NFL.
It’s unclear if the claims are subject to any type of statute of limitations, especially for somebody like the 53-year-old Kuykendall who played in the NFL in the 1970s. The league responded to the allegations by saying there’s no merit at all to them and the NFL has never misled its players regarding the management and proper treatment of head injuries and concussions.
