A unified lawsuit on behalf of more than 2,000 National Football League players has been filed against the league in federal court, alleging that the NFL failed to acknowledge and address neurological risks associated with the sport and then deliberately failed to tell players about the risks they faced, according to attorneys representing former players.
The complaint, filed in federal court in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, unites the more than 80 pending lawsuits filed against the NFL.
“I firmly believe the NFL could have and should have done more to protect Ray. That’s why I am seeking to hold the NFL accountable,” Mary Ann Easterling, widow of former Atlanta Falcons safety Ray Easterling, who committed suicide in April after suffering for years from dementia, said in a press release. “Having lived through Ray’s struggle, I desperately hope and pray others can be spared the pain and suffering we have endured – and still endure every day.”
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy acknowledged the filing, but added that there was nothing new to the claim other than that it merges them all in one place.
"Our legal team will review today's filing that is intended to consolidate plaintiffs' existing claims into one "master" complaint," he said. "The NFL has long made player safety a priority and continues to do so. Any allegation that the NFL sought to mislead players has no merit. It stands in contrast to the league's many actions to better protect players and advance the science and medical understanding of the management and treatment of concussions."
However, many NFL players have claimed they suffer from a variety of injuries because of concussions without really knowing the severity of how badly they could be hurt playing the game.
“The NFL must open its eyes to the consequences of its actions,” Kevin Turner, a former running back for the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles who has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, said in a press release. “The NFL has the power not only to give former players the care they deserve, but also to ensure that future generations of football players do not suffer the way that many in my generation have.”
Lawyers representing the NFL players cited "dementia, depression, reduced cognitive ability, sleeplessness, early-onset Alzheimer’s, and a debilitating and latent disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy" as some of the specific injuries caused by head trauma in the NFL.
“Instead of protecting the health of its players, the NFL’s response to this epidemic of brain injuries was to engage in a campaign of deceit and deception, actively concealing the risks players faced from repetitive impacts,” Christopher Seeger and Sol Weiss, co-lead counsels for the former NFL players, said in a press release. “This case is about providing security and care to former NFL players who have suffered these devastating neurologic injuries, and making the game safer for generations to come.”
Read more about the NFL's concussion problem:
NFL to require sideline test after head blows
Former NFL players: League concealed concussion risks
Film aims to show football's culture of playing despite concussions
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Shut down the NFL!! Problem solved. Go find a job now.
Despite what we all know today about the dangers of head trauma in football the players continue to play. They play despite the dangers just as they always have. Aside from those with serious lingering effects from head trauma I doubt there are any of these 2000 players who wouldn't do it all over again knowing what they know today. So the liability is theirs. They played for the love of the game and for the same reason they are involved in this lawsuit: For the money.
i know that a guy who played locally and was one of my childhood heros (lem barney) said he wishes he never played football. on the other hand, who would have known him if he didn't?
Oh Wahhhhhhhhh. Hopefully this means the end of the NFL. Now that would be some good news.
I guess if you play football and dont realize you may get a concussion or hurt yourself you truly are a meathead. How ridiculous..
This is absurd. Everyone was aware of this, from boxers (Ali) to said football players. Hey guys, there is a reason you are required to wear a helmet, even in 1960. It isn't for fashion.
I'm not a fan of Seinfeld, yet he had an amusing story regarding motorcycle helmets that basically ended with 'why would we pass a law to protect a brain that isn't smart enough to protect itself in the first place...'
Cash grab by already insanely greedy idiots. You chose a sport that involves 200-300 lb men men running into each other at 10, 15, 25mph. Obviously you knew the risk for permanent injury or death is through the roof for everyone involved. So, new evidence comes to light that concussions are more common that thought. That changes nothing.
Sorry, the 'insanely greedy idiots' are the NFL owners.
Good job! The courts and everyone else are sure to take your word for it. No trial necessary; you're obviously an unbiased expert!
The NFL is a cash cow. They can depend on all the fans not only watching the game, but buying jerseys, t-shirts and the like. It seems that much of spectator sports is voyeuerism.. "We won" or "We lost", when all the fans did was sit on their couches, stuff their faces, and think themselves athletic. It would be interesting to see the effect on professional football if intercollegiate athletics were banned. If the NFL were forced to have a farm system like baseball or hockey, that would be the death knell of the NFL
Did the NFL fulfill its duties? What did the NFL actually do?
The narrative that emerges from the lawsuits is not favorable to the NFL.
It appears that the NFL acted very much like the tobacco manufacturers whose long standing refusal to acknowledge a link between smoking and lung cancer represents one of the greatest health risk deceptions of all time. In the case of the NFL it appears management decided players with brain damage are bad press and bad for business. So a decision was made to not only to hide the nature of the problem, but to actively deny that there was a problem at all.
The NFL used its substantial power to deceive the players and the public through a cadre of paid experts to deny a link between concussions and long-term brain damage.
NFL had no information not readily available in the medical community.
So should police sue their deptment if they get shot by a criminal, should soldiers sue the goverment when they get shot i the line of duty? This is rediculous, did they think all the head and shoulder pads were just for show?
They should be filing the law suits against their individual high schools. That is where the brain washing began. If it wasn't for high school sports, then these individuals would have never became involved in professional sports. To carry that further, how can they prove that their head injuries didn't occur during their sports activity in high school or college? Who is to say their injuries occurred only at the professional level?
I'm being sarcastic, don't take it seriously. But I am trying to show the hypocrisy of this.
Another stupid lawsuit. Only idiots need to be told that running into each other repeatedly increases the likelihood of a head injury. Those of us with common sense can figure this out on our own. DURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Did the NFL know about the concussions? How can they file a law suit over something if the NFL were not aware.
Why are players still lined up to still play in the NFL?
When you stick your head in a helmet and let someone bang on it for 15-years, yes u will have a concussion!
These EX players are trying to ruin the league.
You cant withhold information then say "everyone knew it was dangerous". If the information was widely available then why would you withhold it? Its kind of like the tobacco companies telling congress "Yea we lied about the danger, but everyone knew it was a lie so it wasnt really a lie".
Don't hate the players, hate the lawyers... and the judges that won't throw these types of cases out.
The suit should be written to blame the NFL for not improving helmet designs for the last 40 years
@The all potent one – Are you high or stupid? They're not wearing leather caps anymore. They use space-age plastics and padding. Exactly how should they be designed oh god of all knowledge?
Wouldn't the players union be just as liable and the league. They are supposed to look after their flock of paying customers.