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Concussions: NFL under fire.

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  • Concussions: NFL under fire.

    MIAMI (AP)
    Nearly two dozen former NFL players are suing the league over severe and permanent brain damage they say is linked to concussions suffered on the job.


    The complaint filed Thursday in Miami follows a similar one in Atlanta earlier this week. It is the latest in a series of recent lawsuits against the NFL by ex-players.

    The lawsuit was filed on behalf of ex-Miami Dolphins teammates Patrick Surtain, Oronde Gadsden and 19 other players. It accuses the NFL of deliberately omitting or concealing years of evidence linking concussions to long-term neurological problems.

    The NFL denies the charges and says player safety has long been a priority.

    The players claim the NFL made misrepresentations about the seriousness of their injuries ''with the intent of inducing NFL players, including Plaintiffs, to return to play as soon as physically possible after having suffered a football-related concussion and to promote an aggressive style of football that would attract viewers.''

    According to the lawsuit, following numerous studies on the risks of concussions, the NFL created a committee of researchers and doctors in 1994 to study concussions.

    The committee was supposed to be independent, but members were affiliated with the NFL, the lawsuit said, and the group did not include a doctor specializing in neurology or other brain research. When the committee published its findings in 2003, it stated ''there was no long term negative health consequence associated with concussions,'' according to the complaint.

    The former players are seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.

    The lawsuit notes that in 2010, the NFL replaced the leaders of its research committee, and that the new leadership described the data used in the past by the NFL to counter the long-term effects of concussions as ''infected'' and lacking in science.
    http://shop.cafepress.com/content/global/img/spacer.gifOK, let's try this again...

  • #2
    Originally posted by FRESH View Post
    MIAMI (AP)
    Nearly two dozen former NFL players are suing the league over severe and permanent brain damage they say is linked to concussions suffered on the job.


    The complaint filed Thursday in Miami follows a similar one in Atlanta earlier this week. It is the latest in a series of recent lawsuits against the NFL by ex-players.

    The lawsuit was filed on behalf of ex-Miami Dolphins teammates Patrick Surtain, Oronde Gadsden and 19 other players. It accuses the NFL of deliberately omitting or concealing years of evidence linking concussions to long-term neurological problems.

    The NFL denies the charges and says player safety has long been a priority.

    The players claim the NFL made misrepresentations about the seriousness of their injuries ''with the intent of inducing NFL players, including Plaintiffs, to return to play as soon as physically possible after having suffered a football-related concussion and to promote an aggressive style of football that would attract viewers.''

    According to the lawsuit, following numerous studies on the risks of concussions, the NFL created a committee of researchers and doctors in 1994 to study concussions.

    The committee was supposed to be independent, but members were affiliated with the NFL, the lawsuit said, and the group did not include a doctor specializing in neurology or other brain research. When the committee published its findings in 2003, it stated ''there was no long term negative health consequence associated with concussions,'' according to the complaint.

    The former players are seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.

    The lawsuit notes that in 2010, the NFL replaced the leaders of its research committee, and that the new leadership described the data used in the past by the NFL to counter the long-term effects of concussions as ''infected'' and lacking in science.
    Guys get hurt playing football-now there's a friekin newsflash.
    "Hey Giants, who's your Daddy?"

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    • #3
      Next ,goalies will sue the NHL for getting hit with pucks
      We're looking for people that are fundamentally different,” vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl said Saturday night. “The love and passion for football, it's non-negotiable. They're caring, their character, they do the right thing persistently, and they have a relentless playing style that you can see on tape. The motor, it burns hot. You see them finishing plays. They have a team-first mentality. They're selfless individuals.

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      • #4
        Regardless of what you may think of the merits of this suit, I would suggest that these players are simply engaging in an endeavor which has become almost fundamental to 20th and 21st Century American culture...suing someone in pursuit of a big payday.

        Viewed in that light, these guys...who are in many cases really damaged and who never made a ton of money playing...would seem to have a more legitimate gripe than a significant portion of the seemingly frivolous 'personal injury' law suits that are successfully litigated.

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        • #5
          I do feel for them in a way. There's a lot of money in the NFL going to a lot of different people. The NFL would be smart to somehow negotiate that more money is allocated to players health care after retirement.

          At the same time, I also get the first reaction that most people have which is that these players certainly new that they were going to take a beating when they chose this "profession."

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          • #6
            Originally posted by YourPalChrisMal View Post

            At the same time, I also get the first reaction that most people have which is that these players certainly new that they were going to take a beating when they chose this "profession."

            I wonder if these young men, who were in their early 20s at the latest when they 'chose this profession', had both accurate information about concussion-related brain injuries as well as a sufficiently mature perspective on the potential dangers associated with an NFL career.

            I'm generally an advocate of people assuming responsibility for their actions. But in determining 'degree of responsibility' common law directs us to ask what might be expected of a reasonable person in the same or similar circumstances.

            When I was that age, I felt invulnerable (not to physical injury but to mortal danger) and all too often behaved accordingly. That may have been an immature perspective but I believe that most men in their 20s feel/think/behave that way. Couple that sense of invulnerability with the likelihood that no one was warning these guys about potentially serious brain injuries associated with football careers. If anything, the responsible adults (coaches, trainers, medical personnel) who today might be expected/required to intervene on behalf of the players' safety were, even 5 years ago, encouraging these guys to 'play through it' and get back out on the field as soon as possible.

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            • #7
              That's just it. Of course these injuries are going to happen, but only very recently have we seen an effort to evaluate the readiness of those players to return to the game. You know that for years and years they were just running these guys back out there, worsening the damage, and we all should have known better.
              http://shop.cafepress.com/content/global/img/spacer.gifOK, let's try this again...

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              • #8
                I'm not buying. Next we'll see Muhammad Ali suing boxing glove manufacturers.
                "Hey Giants, who's your Daddy?"

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                • #9
                  When do people start taking responsibility for what they do to their bodies?

                  I do agree with Tino that this is basically a sign of the times with the lawsuits. The other day I had a drink that was too cold and it gave me brain freeze and now I am having problems remembering things, think I will sue.
                  FRESH > cancer

                  I hate everything the Cowboys stand for. If you think they are America's team, then you support everything that is wrong with America. The excess, the greed, the lack of maturity, the lack of responsibility, the lack of control. - Luzinski's Gut

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