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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Good grief! Aren't all these guys college graduates? If you and your opponent are both three hundred pounds, and then both of you run as hard and as fast as you can, and collide into each other, isn't it kind of obvious that somebody's coconut is eventually going to get cracked. Where's the common sense here? Look at boxers. Most of the old timers sound awefull when they speak due to the head trauma issues over the years. Do they need to put health warnings on football helemts like they do on packs of cigarettes? "Warning: the surgeon general has determined that playing football can cause serious health problems, and is not recommended for pregnant women." Or is it just a milk money issue again?
Translation: "Hey, can we have more money please?"
NFL athletes are trying to squeeze more juice out of a lemon even though it's already beyond shriveled up. They want every last drop while most people live paycheck to paycheck. Call the WAHHHHHHHmbulance.
I find it very interesting that any comments that questions kids playing football or those that see merit in this lawsuit are being removed. The only comments being allowed are those saying this lawsuit is stupid. Me thinks CNN is owned by the same network that televises football games.
I can understand trying to protect school children from injury but PROFESSIONAL SPORT PLAYERS MAKE MILLIONS and chose to do what they do.This is an embarrassment to them.
Unless the NFL adopts tag football, these injuries will continue. It's the nature of the game and in my humble opinion is not worth bashing your head for the enjoyment of it's spectators or the big bucks.
I was married to a pro football player who played jr high, high school, college and 6 years in the NFL. He got many concussions, and he was always told the same thing....you got your bell rung....how many fingers am I holding up? You guessed a number and they sent you back in. On one occasion, he was knocked out cold for two minutes on the field, taken into the dressing room for halftime and sent back out to play the rest of the game....of which he remembered nothing. He was never told of the lasting impacts or the dangers, it was treated like a sprained ankle or a pulled hamstring. Just another injury, shake it off, get back in there. they were taught to lead with their heads when they tackled. Not all NFL palyers made a lot of money either, his signing bonus was $15,000 in 1982....and it cost a fortune to live in NFL cities. The older players didn't get the salaries that they get now. His whole personality changed and he became irritable, moody, confused, had memory loss....very , very sad. He has even said if he knew then what he knows now, he would have never played.
knowing what we all know now i still would give my left nut to play in the NFL. don't ruin my game because you made it to the promise land and realized the grass wasn't greener. i'm moody and depressed at my desk job and the desk ain't given me concussions
Some wife of an NFL player said NFL players are taught to tackle by "leading with their head" lol...she obviously has no clue. The perfect form tackle taught is to wrap up the lower legs and ankles, and drive the guy backwards. This ensures he can't break the tackle, or fall forward for another yard.
Everyone has known for years it was dangerous and the players demanded and got more money for their efforts. All sides should work to minimize injury and this needs to be passed down through college and high school levels. the helmets of today are nothing like the "old-guys" used and so it would be interesting to see how a rookie today fares in 10 years and there after. Any funds should go to those who left the NFL some time back and NOT to those today that make million dollar salaries. only the greed for the money makes they play....maybe they should have used the college scholarship and got a real education..... duh!!!
sass and smiles, I agree but everyone is thinking about the Randy Mosses and Tom Brady's of the world, Mike Webster died broke and was never a Millionaire. But Folks here assume that every player that played in the NFL played in the 90s and beyond.
OH, PLEASE !!! That's like suing the Boxing Commission over broken noses. ANY football player knows full well the risks of this incredibly stupid and dangerous game. This is nothing but a lame attempt to get MONEY. If I were the judge, I would laugh in their faces and throw out the case on the grounds of stupidity and greed.
Starzee, the players that played before the 90s did not know about head trauma. You guys are thinking as if the NFL started ten years ago, the NFL has been around since the 1930s. So players who played before 1990s did not get paid millions of dollars.
I'm quickly losing respect for all NFL players and am beginning to believe that this game, like baseball after it's stupid disputes, isn't worth watching. Anyone with half a brain can figure out that playing this game comes with a risk of head injuries. More money? I'm not willing to pay any more for a ticket – as a matter of fact, I'm not willing to pay the current price and also figured out last season that I'm no longer willing to sit through 120 minutes of commercials and fluff to watch a game that has 60 minutes of 'game' (though much of this 60 minutes is watching players that earn millions stand around and look at other). Advice for you players – either learn to accept the risks of your game with the exorbitant salaries you get or get out of the game!
So, you are telling me that these COLLEGE GRADUATES many with SPORTS and PE related degrees, didn't know that getting hit in the head repeatedly might cause harm??? None of their personal physicians, while shooting them up with steroids, told them that they could be crippled for life from this activity? The PLAYERS and their union were the ones who opposed rules and equipment that would limit these types of injuries. Why didn't their own union, full of sports lawyers, tell them the risks?
Poor babies. Their greed combined with them getting paid millions when they're only worth thousands caused them to ignore the obvious problem with getting your head banged around every day. Time to suck it up guys. You paid your nickle – you takes your chances.
Oh yeah...the NFL must have ducked taped these players hands and feet and forced them to play...for a cool million dollars or so.
Hey, I played 4 yrs high school and 4 years college – a pulling guard lineman. Got my bell rung many many times and didn't know which end of the field was ours. I played because I enjoyed the game. These Pros play largely for the $$. It is big business. I don't feel sorry for these guys – they ought to know the risks. Maybe I can sue my college? What a waste of time!!!
Quit whining, nobody force you to play football. When playing any sport you became any risk injury. But welcome to America, where anybody can sue anybody for anything.