Summary of an NFL Brain Damage Lawsuit
The NFL has been successfully sued by previous NFL players that sustained concussions causing dementia, depression, or Alzheimer’s due to repetitively hitting their heads on the field. One-third of the league’s former 12,000 players joined the lawsuit, requiring a brain damage injury lawyer to successfully obtain resources for their injuries.
4,500 previous players reported that they suffer from various levels of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The degenerative brain disease is caused by repetitive blows to the head and is also linked to Alzheimer’s and dementia.
The Settlement for NFL Players
A brain damage injury lawyer helped previous players reach a settlement with the NFL for $765 million. This agreement addresses the need for the retired victims to be compensated for their injuries, pay for medical and rehabilitation benefits, and pay for research for sports-related concussions.
The litigation was initially led by six-time pro bowler Bruce Smith, which includes Ladell Betts, Christian Ballard, Greg Westerbrooks and Anthony Davis. The lawsuit was soon joined by several other players experiencing similar health issues from years of being repeatedly hit in the head.
The Outcome of Player's Concussions
Concussions occur when the head is hit in a traumatic fashion, causing the brain to move rapidly inside of the skull. If it occurs repeatedly, it can lead to death or severe brain damage over time. On behalf of the previous NFL players, it is necessary for a brain damage injury lawyer to investigate if proper procedures were enforced to ensure that football players were protected when they received a concussion.
It was found that the Traumatic Brain Injury Committee did not enforce proper conditions for players that had suffered from concussions, putting them back out to play after sustaining an injury. Proper regulations have since been introduced and implemented in the league.
Sources
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000235494/article/nfl-explayers-agree-to-765m-settlement-in-concussions-suit
http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2014/07/21/3462150/five-former-players-sue-nfl-players-union-over-concussions/
http://nflconcussionlitigation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/CONCUSSIONS_IN_FOOTBALL.pdf
http://nflconcussionlitigation.com/?page_id=274