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    75 NFL retirees sue league over concussions

    By ROBERT JABLON - Associated Press | AP – Wed, Jul 20, 2011

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mark Duper, Ottis Anderson and 73 other former players sued the National Football League, claiming it concealed information about the danger of concussions for decades.

    The negligence, fraud and liability suit was filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. Many players' wives also are plaintiffs.

    The suit alleges the NFL knew as early as the 1920s of the harmful effects of concussions but concealed them from coaches, trainers, players and the public until June 2010. It also names helmet-maker Riddell, the NFL's official helmet supplier.

    It seeks unspecified damages.

    "We have not seen the complaint but would vigorously contest any claims of this kind," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in a statement.

    Riddell spokeswoman Laura Moore said the company had not yet reviewed the complaint and its policy was to not comment on pending litigation.

    Concussions are movements of the brain inside the skull from an impact. The former players contend that they suffered repeated concussions from hits and tackles during their years in the NFL that caused brain damage. They contend the injuries left them with problems such as dementia, headaches, memory loss, blurred vision, sleeplessness and ringing in the ears. Some claim the injuries caused depression, anxiety, "explosive mood changes," poor judgment and substance abuse.

    According to the suit, the NFL knew for decades that multiple blows to the head can cause long-term brain injury but fraudulently denied it, even as independent evidence showed that players were at risk.

    The Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee was established by the NFL in 1994 to study the risk of long-term brain injury to players. The suit contends that the committee published "false, distorted and deceiving" findings that the risk was minimal in order to deceive Congress, players and the public.

    The NFL only warned active players in June 2010 of the risks associated with multiple concussions and Riddell failed to warn active players until around the same time, the suit claims.

    The NFL has never warned past players, according to the suit.

    What do you think?

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    106 comments

    • HughP
      HughP  •  10 mths ago
      The lawsuit is already won.
      They just proved they have brain damage from the thinking that it is the NFL's fault that they received concussions from playing the game.

      Next up on the docket: Hacksaw Reynolds suing the NFL for arm injuries from his clothesline tackles.
    • call_me_the_breeze
      call_me_the_breeze  •  10 mths ago
      75 Players who squandered away all their money now want to try black mailing the N.F.L. into giving them more money then the MILLIONS they were paid years ago
    • Z
      Z  •  10 mths ago
      Football players now knowing that football can cause head injuries??? #$%$ They had no problem with this when they were making millions playing the game, and now that they are retired, they want to sue to get even more millions. Greedy, greedy, greedy.
      • OLD MAN
        OLD MAN 10 mths ago
        Only 1 percent of the players got millions for playing in the NFL and receiving monetary compensation for injuries suffered while playing that they were never completely told about isn't greedy but the league and owners had a responsible to keep the players healthy and stop them from extra harm and injury, which they didn't do and why is simple.....money and greedy ownership.
    • Cobra
      Cobra  •  10 mths ago
      Sue the helmet maker; that's rich. Like suing the seat belt manufacturer after you run your Ferrari into a bridge abutment at 138 m.p.h.
    • david g
      david g  •  10 mths ago
      hey to the 75 players the nfl didnt give you concussions and the helmet manufacturer didnt cause you to get concussions.you and your fellow players leading with your heads caused yourselves to get concussions.
      • Storm
        Storm 10 mths ago
        Yes, agreed, but the NFL failed to warn the players of the significant risks, even though they knew as far back as the 1920's. Not only did they fail to warn the players, but purposefully deceived not only them, but congress and the public about the level of risk. Did you even bother to read the article before commenting?
      • david g
        david g 10 mths ago
        yes i did read it and i dont need anyone to tell me im ok get back in there if i cant remember my name?they chose to play the game no one forced them to play
      • JJJ
        JJJ 10 mths ago
        Storm u Have Proof the NFL knew this in the 20's when medical science didnt? wow.thats unreal!!! a league smarter than a Doctor..when did medical science begin to SHOW any concerns.certaintly wasnt in the 20'&30;s.if I recall wasnt until late 80;s early 90;s

        but when u play a game like football and LEAD with ur head for 12yrs as 1 player who is suing admitits to then i dodnt see a case!!!!.do u have proof his coach told him to play like that? don't think u do..

        alot of there head imjuries also came about with "contact" with the ground.so NFL is too be sued because the ground caused it?...

        Yes alot of us HAVE read the article...BUt what alot of us are saying.#1 you cant show or prove these happened with in the NFL..#2 how do we know if maybe these same players got hit in head while in pee-wee or HS or College.then came into the league with these conditions.BUT now the NFL is at fault when these same players signed on that dotted line..sorry that doesnt fly....

        ok another way to put it..let;s say player A is on the stand..lawyer ask hin a question and he sits there and states it was in the NFL..BUt this same lawyer did his/Her homework and Found OUT this same player did indeed get "knocked-out" while playing HS ball.then also same happen in College!!!..But this player never mentions that how come?....that right there will kill there suit!!!!!!!
    • Rich M
      Rich M  •  10 mths ago
      What a joke. Playing footbal is dangerous, eating too many big macs is unhealthy, watching too much tv is bad for you. No #$%$! When the hell are people gonna take responsibility for their own actions and stop blaming other people because they are idiots!!
    • C
      C  •  10 mths ago
      Duper never took a hit...give me a break. I bet the other 73 were bench warmers -- ex-millionaires now want to hit paydirt off backs of hard working Americans...win the lottery and us pay more for the games...get real.
      • JJJ
        JJJ 10 mths ago
        duper took "many" HITS just they werent football related...
    • Tim Baker
      Tim Baker  •  10 mths ago
      Morons... Did they think concussions were harmless? Anyone who plays football knows there are inherent risks and should take that into careful consideration before playing.
      • OLD MAN
        OLD MAN 10 mths ago
        the whole problem is the owners never kept the players informed of what may happen if they continue to play with a series of reoccuring concussions. Owners didn't and don't care about anything but the bottom line and that is making money.
    • Joe
      Joe  •  10 mths ago
      75 individuals who chose the profession that paid them a lucrative salary. To blame the NFL is silly and an attorney's scheme to get rich. The american public can not feel sorry for them.
      What about Police, Fireman, Construction workers, Americas Military etc do they need to be educated re the hazards of the job or they choosing their profession. Give me a brake you can't have your cake and eat it too. Time to limit civil lawsuits these attorney's are out of control
      • OLD MAN
        OLD MAN 10 mths ago
        as a former teams member of over 40 years comparing the military injuries to NFL injuries is seriouly crazy. yes, a concussion is a concussion but the military and other businesses don't allow much less keep playing the players with numberous concussions, especially now that the proof of evidence and serious medical problems exist after one then one concussion. I was shoot numberous times in the act of duty and continued to work with my team. But that situation is a life or death call in a military situation not a professional football players who was nevere given the straight facts about what could happen if you continued to play witih numerous concussions. THe owners wanted to keep them playing to make the bottomline here of MONEY. And most of the individuals that are in this lawsuit didn't get millions to play. Now that the cat is out of the bag, the owners are aware that they are liable for future injuries and the health of there players,
    • the bard
      the bard  •  10 mths ago
      a thousand lawyers at the bottom of the ocean - a good start
    • Smackass
      Smackass  •  10 mths ago
      I guess football players are really that stupid. Kinda like tobacco lawsuits. Everyone on the planet has the info except smokers and football players.
    • Ken
      Ken  •  10 mths ago
      Americans are taught to blame others for their own misdeeds. Think about smokers. They blame the tobacco companies when they get lung cancer. How about people were buying homes at any price in the ladt decade because they were going to make a killing. When the homes lost their value everyone's first instinct was to blame everyone and anyone.. That is how we live in this counntry.
    • Fatback Junior Samples
      Fatback Junior Samples  •  10 mths ago
      Are you kidding me ? Running full speed and spearing someone with your head, even wearing a helmet, is not a good thing to do over and over again. I guess they really needed someone to tell them that before getting paid to do so.
    • Marvin Martian
      Marvin Martian  •  10 mths ago
      Gee, who'd a thought running head-first at full speed into a block of steroid-induced muscle and bone running back at you head-first at full speed would affect one's health. The mutual response I want to see from the NFL and Riddel is, "Hit the bricks, whiners - you knew going it it was a dangerous game."
    • kxbpy
      kxbpy  •  10 mths ago
      It is criminal that they were forced to play football. I remember seeing the guys with the whips on the sidelines!

      These guys have blown the bucks they made and now want to go back to the well - nothing more.
    • Gary
      Gary  •  10 mths ago
      I believe that most of these guys are college grads.....I guess that means that they're not responsible for their own actions...duh!
    • Albert
      Albert  •  10 mths ago
      The level of ignorance and greed among past and present NFL players is mindboggling. I hope they not only lose but are ordered to pay the cost of defence for the NFL.
    • Big K
      Big K  •  10 mths ago
      it's the american way ... play your game for big bucks and then sue the hand that fed you. these guys are as dumb as they sound. ah, but now they have lawyers working for them!
    • wonsetihw
      wonsetihw  •  10 mths ago
      Let see, you play a sport that you are required to wear protective equipment, men are hitting and tackling you and where collisions between players are as common as drinking water and these players did not know the dangers of concussions. If these players were more concerned about their health then the money they were making, they would have known the danger, but the dangers of NFL have been stated for decades.
    • C
      C  •  10 mths ago
      Gee, I guess the NFL hid the fact that players got hit in the head when they played. I guess wearing helmets wasn't enough for some people.
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