Traumatic Brain Injury Lawsuit
Jamal Lewis, Dorsey Levens, and two other former professional players have against the National Football League, accusing it of misleading them and failing to take effective action to protect them from head injuries. They say the injuries left them struggling with medical problems years after their playing days ended.
Lewis and Levens, as well as Fulton Kuykendall and Ryan Stewart, filed the lawsuit Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, according to four separate statements from the former players.
The statements argued that the NFL knew about the medical evidence showing that on-field concussions can directly lead to brain injuries, yet failed to take the proper action to protect its players.
The NFL fought back by saying the allegation that they intentionally mislead players has no merit.
The NFL has taken steps in recent years to protect its players by enacting stricter regulations and harsher penalties intended to strengthen conduct on the field.
In 2005, the league banned the practice of tackling a player by using his shoulder pads, a move commonly referred to as a “horse-collar” tackle, after concluding it resulted in injuries. Helmet-to-helmet contact is also forbidden and carries a personal foul call.
Players like Steelers” linebacker James Harrison have since faced hefty and repeated fines for helmet-first tackles.
The worry is these retired players will develop CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), a dementia-like brain disease afflicting athletes exposed to repeated brain trauma. Scientists at Boston University say they have found evidence of CTE in the brains of athletes as young as 18.
By: Pete Strom, South Carolina Personal Injury Attorney