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
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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yeah because dementia and other diseases only happen to ex football players. Has this country gone stupid or what.
This is too funny... the players are also claiming ignorance, shows they really are the dumb jocks most of us view them as.
Seems no one is ever willing to accept the responsibility for their right to free choice.. Have we really become a nation were 2000 big and many college educated me have become victims? While I sympathize for many of them and their injuries, who FORCED THEM TO PLAY NFL FOOTBALL?? NO ONE!! It was their free choice!!
I thought playing pro football implied that you were going to get head trauma, but then again I am an engineer and not a football player. HAHAHA
This is just ridiculous! These players gets paid quite a lot of money just to play football already; and then they sue the NFL.
Any NFL player that doesn't understand the risks of tackling and being tackled in football doesn't have a brain in their head to begin with. Just like boxers suing for brain damage because they weren't warned of the risks involved with their chosen profession. It's called "full contact" for a reason and there is always an element of risk involved. Players accept this risk when they don their protective gear.
You gotta be kinding me? I think we should sue the toilet paper companies for not warning us that "Failure to wipe will cause klingons".
Being many if not most begin their NFL playing careers without a whole lot of brain power, it should not be difficult for them to prove their brain functioning is now on the limited side. They should win $millions$. Did the NFL focce these geniuses to accept their multi-million-dollar contracts?
Some people here really think that the NFL started in 1990 based on the comments here. Folks don't realize that the NFL started well before that. 1970s the average salary was 23K, in the 60s it was 9k, in the 50s it was 6K. But folks here don't care to know that.
23k was a lot of money in the 70s, 20 years ago 50k was enough to buy a decent house.. some people only make 23k a year now.. and they work hard for it.
Unless you have been affected by a head injury, you really don't know how bad it can be. You can't put a price on your brain. As a traumatic brain injury survivor, I can say with certainty that the brain is truly priceless.
If this works, which it probably will, professional boxers can be next. Not sure who they can sue, but they should certainly be able to sue heir trainers as well as the boxing promoters. Then maybe hockey? Of course baseball players who get hit with the bean ball. Mountain climbers who die while climbing, their families should be able to sue someone, wouldn't be very fair if they couldn't.
I will propose that the only way to fix this issue, in lieu of putting plastic bubbles around their heads, is to eliminate facemasks, cleats, and leg pads. Sure other things will get broken, but they will be less careless with their heads and less capable of of the quick moves to get into collisions and less willing to dive into any situation, because it will hurt something way before they can hurt their heads.
Edl, ok but what about players who played when the average salary was 23K? where we their millions, genius?
What was 23k worth in todays dollars genius?
I wonder if they think about why they were all wearing a helmet while playing a game they were being paid a bazillion dollars to play. Are you going to tell me they didn't know there was a risk of serious injury? Our soldiers, sailors, and airmen are paid far less for a risk far greater. They should be ashamed of themselves.
I'd be willing to bet that a high percentage of these players never had any sort of extended career in the NFL, bunch of bums trying to get paid.