NFL Takes a Hit on Concussions With Players'

When you’re getting repeatedly knocked down by guys who weigh hundreds of pounds, bad stuff is going to happen no matter how many suits of armor you put on. The NFL has been riding a sea of bad publicity in recent years as concussions pile up on current players and former players claim that the league didn’t do enough to protect them from brain injury.

The latest bad news for the league comes in the form of a lawsuit by 40 former players and some of their poor spouses who are “seeking damages for the painful and debilitating injuries they suffered from repetitive head traumas during their play in National Football League games as well as in practice and training,” according to a press release. The suit claims that the league basically didn’t pay attention to the problem even when players and former players brought it up to them. 

While this isn’t going to hold up most NFL fans from turning on their tube on Sundays this fall, it may give a few kids and their parents pause when their kid is lining his or her walls with posters of NFL players and dreaming of making it to the pros someday.

“The former players who are bringing this suit all suffered repeated concussions and blows to the head, causing them cognitive difficulties, memory loss, depression, and neurological disorders, leaving them at an increased risk of latent brain disease,” said attorney Wendy Fleishman. “Throughout their careers, the complaint charges that the NFL misrepresented the true risks of repeated blows to the head and failed to take appropriate action to prevent such impacts and mitigate the risk of the players developing neurodegenerative disorders and diseases.”

The players want compensation for their injuries while the spouses would like to be repaid for “the loss of companionship, affection, and support (they) have suffered due to their husbands’ injuries.”

No statement yet from the NFL Players Association, which has been "aggressive" on the issue of player safety. And maybe it's time for the NFL to re-engage Toyota on how to make a better helmet?