Former Players sue NFL over Concussions, Claim Fraud

The following article was written by Cyle Kiger.

Head injuries seem to be in the news daily.  The plaintiffs in this case include Ron Solt and Rich Miano, whom said that the NFL conspired to hide evidence linking concussions to head trauma.  The lawsuit includes both fraud and negligence against the NFL, there have been at least eight similar lawsuits that more than 100 other players have signed onto.

The suit by the former players claimed that the NFL deceived players by telling them that concussions did not present serious injury, and pushed them back into the game too early. Even though these allegations are brought upon by former players, current players like Maurice Jones Drew have had comments that tend to be on the contrary. When the Associated Press asked Jones-Drew whether he would stay in the game and play through a concussion or pull himself out of the game he said, “Hide it, the bottom line is: You have to be able to put food on the table. No one’s going to sign or want a guy who can’t stay healthy. I know there will be a day when I’m going to have trouble walking. I realize that.”

The suit seeks $5 million for the plaintiffs for the substantial memory loss of Solt and issues of 6 other players in the suit.  The league rejects allegations that it has failed to protect the players, any reasonable person can see that.  More rules are in place season by season, not to mention the constant attention on the issue has greatly increased awareness.

In this case I do not think that the plaintiffs have much of a case, the NFL appears to let its players know the risks in playing football.  These players work in a dangerous work environment daily and are compensated properly.  Should the NFL be liable for what happens to their former athletes years down the road?  The NFL is worth billions of dollars, a slight margin of that goes to former players for health.