Former NFL players file suit over brain injury risks
Everyone knows football is a rough sport, especially at the NFL level. However, a group of former NFL players claim they were never warned of the more severe injuries, such as concussions, to which they were subjected during their careers as professional athletes. In Los Angeles and across the country, news of a lawsuit filed against the league by former NFL football players is spreading like wildfire.
The men filing the suit include over 2,000 former players who have been affected by head injuries while playing in the NFL. The players assert that the league withheld information connecting football-related head trauma to permanent brain injuries. While they admit they were warned of the possibility of broken bones or damaged knees, they maintain they were not cautioned about the long-term effects of the concussions they could suffer.
The lawsuit specifically asserts that the NFL knew of the significant risk that came with the game of football and fully realized that long-term brain damage could be the outcome. In knowing this, the NFL did not make this information known to the players themselves. They are hoping the court will hold the NFL responsible for the care that past NFL football players now need due to the head injuries they suffered. Dementia, Alzheimer’s and other neurological conditions have all been listed as football-related head trauma.
The NFL denies these claims made against them, stating that they have always made safety a priority. Some former officials questions the link between these head injuries to football, while others feel the mentality of the game needs to be cleansed in general.
Source: The Sacramento Bee, “NFL faces lawsuit from former players over brain injury risks,” Randy Covitz, June 8, 2012