It seems that every week there is new concussion litigation against the NFL by former players. Over 100 have been filed in American courts, with the number of players involved nearly at 3,000. And that number could top 12,000 before it’s all said and done.
Other Lawsuits
Experts surmise that if the NFL concussion lawsuits are successful for the players, the precedent will lead players in other sports to follow suit. The floodgates could open for the NHL, boxing, wrestling, and any other sports where head injuries are common.
It also brings up the question of what, exactly, is the responsibility of the team and sports league when it comes to protecting the players from injuries. There is a question of what is the right thing to do and what is the legal thing to do, two separate questions which the courts might see as having separate answers.
Potentially Transformative
One of the problems is that so many of these supports first cause head injuries when players are very young, leading to cumulative effects on players. Certainly there must be some responsibility on the part of a coach when playing with minors on their team. And if the point of college ball is, ostensibly, to ensure that the players get an education, surely making sure the players’ brains are functioning should be important. But what is the responsibility of a professional league with adult players?
Will changing the way the league evaluates and treats concussions be enough or will they have to change game play as well? Is it possible that hitting will need to be banned, will heading be removed from soccer, tackles removed from football?
NFL Concussion Lawyers
The NFL Concussion Lawyers at the Strom Law Firm are currently accepting cases involving brain damage and concussions for former players. Call today for a free consultation. 803.252.4800
