2,450 players have now filed 89 concussion related law suits against the NFL and Riddell Athletics (helmet manufacturer).
The suits against the NFL/Riddle are based on the fact that a significant number of players have received permanent brain injuries while playing for the NFL. There are dozens of reports that prove this. A Michigan University study of former players found that:
Alzheimer’s disease or similar-memory related diseases occur ‘vastly’ more often than the national population – including a rate of 19 times the normal rate for men ages 30-49.
That's a catastrophic outcome it it's true. Now one might say that NFL players receive significant renumeration to get the shit pounded out of them every Sunday for 18 weeks, but the real question is whether or not the NFL and Riddle knew how dangerous these head related injuries really were.
A critical issue for the teams/players is, "What did the teams do when a player incurred a head injury during play/practice?" As far back as 1999 it was shown that players who received a concussion during practice or a game were 4Xs more likely to receive another concussion in the following 10 days.
The NFL ignored this information. It was not until 2009 that it established rules that required players who exhibited any sign of concussion had to be removed from a game or practice, and be barred from returning the same day.
But there are hundreds of documented cases since 2009 where players who received a head injury that produced symptoms of concussion who were returned to the playing field within minutes of the original injury.
No comments:
Post a Comment