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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wait you mean running head first into things is bad???
Is there anything we can't sue for in America. What's next, soldiers suing because the were wounded in battle.
Good point...where's my lawyer!?
I'm sorry but at what point did they realize it was bad...after the fact or while they were getting paid millions?
Sound like the people who smoke a pack a day for 35 years and then blame the tobacco company when they get cancer.
I'd say if you cant figure out that constantly bashing your head into other 250 pound athletes running all out might cause some damage over time, its a moot point, because there wasnt a lot to damage in the first place.
Oh there a lot to damage but with 200,000 a game pay checks...keep bashing.
Don't let your kids play this thing.
This was bound to happen because the NFL refusal to help former players with medical insurance after retirement. They led these players down this path and the NFL has had plenty of time to see this coming. Hope the lawyers don't ruin the game and I wish the NFL would have stepped up and done what was right.
Well if thats the case....sue away!
Can I sue my job for stressing me out by requiring that I be at work 5 days a week for 8 hours a day?! I'm stressed
Everyone is blaming the PEOPLE for these types of FRIVOLOUS lawsuits. It's the GREEDY LAWYERS you should be concerned about.
Isn't the whole point of playing football to not have brains?.
You mean a full collision sport is dangerous and may have long term consequences on your health??? Everyone who has ever played the game knows how dangerous it is....the league doesn't have a lot of control over that. You made millions that most people will never see. If you were smart, then you've invested and your children now have a nice advantage...unfortunately its at the cost of your health. I don't mean to sound harsh but no one is forced to be in the league, they could've chosen other paths in life.
This players need to sue their colleges and schools systems as well since their injuries started back then. They were too stupid to study biology (or anything else) that show the dangers and risks of football... can you hear cha-ching, cha-ching?
Another good point.
The got a degree without ever going to class or taking a test – what else do they want?
Seriously? YOu ram heads and bodies at nearly full speed with weights of 200-400+ and you need someone to tell you that you WILL get hurt? Morons! Stop blaming others. You chose this sport so don't act like you didn't know.
Seriously, you used a miniature microwave oven next to your head for 30 years and you wonder why you have brain cancer? hope you don't use a cell phone.
Amen. This is greed. There is a reason they get paid so much. What else are most of these guys gonna do?
And b'boxing i'i'sn't d'd'd'dangerous? Who? OK. What?
Yes, boxing is dangerous. Here's the difference, there is no boxing organization business. Each individual boxer essentially owns his own business. Not the case in the NFL.
Also, you can't even compare the amount of safety regulations between the two. Boxing is regulated by state athletic commissions. During a boxing match, each boxer is assigned an independent ringside physician. If a boxer gets a concussion during the match, or takes a severe enough beating during a match, the physician issues what we call a "doc" slip, which essentially means that the boxer is barred from fighting for 90 days. After the 90 days is up, the boxer is then to be cleared by a physician. He can then return to the ring.
In football, there are no independent physicians on the sidelines, only team physicians. In football, only now have they made a rule that states a player can't come back in the same game with a concussion, but there still is nothing stopping him from coming back a week later.
wow, you people are heartless. also, 30 years from now when you have brain tumors from cell phone use, be sure to remember what you said here. you could have used a land line only. it was your choice to use a cell phone.
I will remember. it is by choice that I go out in the sun and all of its harmful rays. It is about choosing and accepting those choices. Granted, if they were hurt and forced to go back on the field that is one thing, or to have coaches pay for hit squads, but you will get hurt playing this game – pure and simple. Take the 400K base pay or go get a real job.
the difference here is that players are STILL playing...If they really felt they where in danger the current NFL players would stop, but no the millions of dollars they get paid makes them keep playing even though they know its bad for them. Cell phones on the otherhand are not inherently obvious...if they do cause brain tumors, and now that cell phones have been common place for 10 years I don't see that as likly, it is not the same as having 12 200lb + men smash into eachother.
@JS. Cellphones are only known to cause brain damage in young children. (why France outlaws cellphone use at school)
US adults need to worry about the same blunt-force trauma ultral-low frequency blasts experienced by beached whales, not microwaves.