Former players suing NFL over head injuries...We all knew this was coming...

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Former [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] quarterback [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] has sued the NFL over “repeated traumatic injuries to his head” sustained during his 11-season career.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is the lead plaintiff in a mass-tort suit filed March 23 in the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. One hundred twenty-six former players are part of the suit, including 14 other ex-[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

The suit alleges the NFL was aware of the risks of repetitive traumatic brain injury but hid the information and misled players, resulting in permanent brain damage of neurological disorders.

“It’s scary the extent to which these guys have been hurt,” said [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], the case’s lead attorney. “When we played [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], broken bones, busted noses, tears of tissue were kind of expected. Nobody said you’d get a head injury. … These injuries are insidious, they are latent, degenerative and it gets worse and worse as you get older in certain players.”


According to the suit, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] “suffers from various neurological conditions and symptoms related to the multiple head traumas.”

The same language is used for each of the 125 other plaintiffs. The other ex-[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] included in the suit are: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

Some have speculated NFL commissioner [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]’s harsh penalties against the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] for their bounty program was, in part, a reaction to the flurry of concussion lawsuits. Concussions have also dogged the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], as the league has experienced a sharp increase in reported head injuries the past two seasons.

“I think it took them too long,” Locks said of [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]’s response. “They really should’ve done things a long time ago. They didn’t.”

Asked for comment on the latest lawsuit, the NFL on Tuesday released a statement through a league spokesman:

“The NFL has long made player safety a priority and continues to do so. Any allegation that the NFL intentionally sought to mislead players has no merit. It stands in contrast to the league’s actions to better protect players and advance the science and medical understanding of the management and treatment of concussions.”

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] quarterbacked the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] to a 37-24 win over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI and was named the game’s most valuable player, the highlight of six seasons with the team. He also played for the Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles and St. Louis Rams.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], 49, resides in Spokane, Wash., and oversees the Rypien Foundation he established in 2004 to assist families battling childhood cancer.

Messages seeking comment from [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] through his foundation weren’t immediately returned Tuesday.

This the latest in a string of lawsuits targeting the NFL over head injuries. One site tracking the legal maneuvers, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], estimates 51 lawsuits have been filed against the NFL. That includes five wrongful death lawsuits.

Locks estimates his Locks Law Firm represents 500 to 600 ex-players who have filed suit against the NFL over head injuries.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]’s suit covers eight counts including, like many of the other suits, conspiracy to defraud, fraud and negligence.

In 1995, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] told USA Today he sustained two concussions in his career.

“I thought that was two too many,” [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] said.

Wonder if I can file against my public school system for the time I played in high school?

Dmounts wrote:Wonder if I can file against my public school system for the time I played in high school?

Sure, anyone can file. But you better have a bunch of money and a good case or you'll just be throwing your $$$$$$ away.

The NFL players may be opening up pandora's box.

Dmounts wrote:Wonder if I can file against my public school system for the time I played in high school?

Thats funny because I thought the same thing when I watched the interview with the Bears x QB Jim McMahon last week on espn, and there were no doctors on the sidelines when I played, now they always had an ambulance in the corner of the end zone but no doctors.