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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Ok really??? Isn't this called "football"? It's a contact sport, right? I'm confused. I don't believe the NFL owes anyone anything. For the amount of money most of these players were paid, they should be set for life...IF they did things right.
This is another stupid lawsuit. I feel for these guys but they knew the risks. They got paid millions of dollars to play a game that they loved. Shame on all of them for filing this!
I have a hard time believing that it is the sole responsibility of the NFL to provide information to it's players as to the dangers of head injuries. This is a good example of the necessary communication between doctors and patients. I would never make someone else responsible for my health when it comes to making informed decisions.
2000 former NFL players who "deliberately ignored" risks of head injuries suing the league for "deliberately ignoring" risks of head injuries. This outta be fun.
So they're going to class action this. I can see the outcome already.
Players will get a free voucher to a game of their choice.
Players Lawyers will run off with all the money.
WAAAH WAAAH WAAAH, cry me a river, you know the risk of playing football unless your a MORON. Don't blame everyone for your stupidity.
Come on guys – these players are obviously geniuses. Playing football and then getting compensated so they can buy another mansion? Sounds reasonable to me!
I say this is exactly like the McDonalds spilled coffee case. So you choose a career that includes the repeated high-energy smashing of your head and body into other people and the ground, and you experienced damage, and you want to whine that SOMEONE ELSE ignored the risks? I think you also have SPINE damage (if you had one).
Talk about GIRLY MEN! Or maybe DUMB men? God help us if this case goes anywhere.
That is what helmets are for. If you guys want to be a bunch of girls then go play basketball.
To all the nay-sayers claiming/joking about players just looking for money or wussifying the sport to 2-hand touch or flag-football, you fail to realize that with all the padding/protection the players currently wear, they think they're invincible, so they don't think twice before these ridiculously violent hits they inflict on each other. This lawsuit and the science behind it should be a wake-up call to the NFL that they need to do away with all this padding and play more like they used to, like rugby leagues have always done and have a significantly lower amount of and less serious injuries.
Football is an archaic sport and I wouldn't be disappointed if this ruined the NFL.
I don't think they have a law suit because it's pretty clear what happens when monsters tackle monsters.
I mean, yeah a lot of times these lawsuits are kind of stupid. And yeah, somebody is going to get a lot of money out of it. But I think the principle makes sense. If you're going to run a game that has enormous risks to a person's health and the people running it are aware of the risks, they should have been up front and honest about it. Yes, you are much more likely to develop dementia at a young age. Yes, you are much more likely to develop arthritis. Yes, your life expectancy will drop. They have to tell them this. It's not something that should just be understood. They have to give the research to their employees. It's the right thing to do.
This is going to be a difficult thing to prove. Even if they find a smoking gun paper trail saying that the league knew concussions were dangerous and deliberately withheld that information, they then need to prove that their conditions later in life were caused by NFL-related concussions. Every one of these players got to the NFL by playing for years in college, high school, and earlier, when their brains were more fragile. Proving that all of their symptoms came from their NFL time sounds like an uphill battle.
What a bunch if whinners. "I didn't know I could get hurt playing football", horse hockey!
Boxers are also going to sue the Boxing Federation for failing to notify them that repeated punches to the face (by extremely strong individuals) will result in bruising and lacerations. Also concussions too I would imagine.
(raises hand) I know concussions are dangerous.