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If you have ever been to a Philadelphia Eagles game, you know how hard some of the hits are out there on the field. Not surprisingly, many players end up hurt. But some players are alleging that brain injuries, in particular, leave lasting and severe consequences that they were never warned about.
A suit filed against the National Football League alleged that the organization knew concussions could cause traumatic brain injuries and have known this information since 1920. The league only went public with that information in June 2010. The suit also alleges that the National Football League never alerted the players of this knowledge.
League representatives did not return calls from the Associated Press, though the NFL did respond in a statement to the Associated Press that has made player safety a priority and continues to make player safety a priority. In its statement, the NFL also claimed that the allegations that the NFL purposely misled players have no merit.
The lawsuit states that players in other professional sports who suffered from concussions were not only removed from that day’s game, but were kept from playing for long periods of time — sometimes a whole season. NFL players are often put back into the game on the same day as the injury.
Several players and former players are listed on the lawsuit. The players sued the NFL because they say the resulting brain injury from concussions are causing them to struggle with medical problems — for some, years after they retired. In the lawsuit, the players accuse the NFL of hiding the issue and misleading the players, coaches, trainers and the public about the risks associated with concussions suffered in football.
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court in Atlanta and involving four former NFLers, is the latest of six lawsuits filed in recent months by past players.
Source: The Associated Press, “Ex-NFL players blame league for brain injuries,” Greg Bluestein, Sec. 22, 2011