Experts say NFL may take legal suits from former players seriously at some point – NFL News
The pressure ensuing from a number of legal suits filed against the National Football League (NFL) over its concussion policies has been surmounting and according to sports law experts the league office will have to take them seriously at some point of time
and well before allowing them to become a bombshell for it.
The league is a subject of about a dozen of lawsuits filed in different courts by former league players since July this year. Almost all of them have criticized the league’s policies on head injuries and sought compensation.
Inspite of the apparent denial from the league’s spokesman of committing any wrong doing, claiming that players’ safety has always been a priority for the league, the legal experts said that NFL officials should take these suits seriously rather than simply
discarding them.
"I don't think the NFL can consider these cases nuisances," said Mark Conrad, who teaches sports law at Fordham University. "They will take them seriously because if it goes the wrong way, it could be a bombshell."
Some of the counsels representing the players in the suits said that all the suits were in concern to the long-term injury implications for professional footballers.
"We believe that the long-term medical complications that have been associated with multiple concussions - such as memory loss, impulse anger-control problems, disorientation, dementia - were well documented, and that factually the NFL knew or should have
known of these potentially devastating neurological problems and yet it didn't take any active role in addressing the issue for players," said Larry Coben, who is representing seven retirees including McMahon.
The NFL has come under fire recently the way it has handled head injuries over the course of its recent history. In addition the lawsuits the league office has been criticized by the former and current players over lack of efforts to protect them from concussions.
It also prompted the NFL to reach an agreement with the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) to monitor head injuries during each game starting from this season.
Following a recent inquiry by the NFL and NFLPA into handling of Colt McCoy’s head injury by the Cleveland Browns, the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced placing of a certified athletic trainer at Press Box during each game with an immediate effect
to assist teams’ medical staff in monitoring, assessing and treating players for concussions.
The league is further set to discuss other measures such as the possibilities of banning launching and helmet hits at its postseason meeting next year.
However, as said by the experts the league office might have to look into the legal suit issue and seek a possible solution to it, which could be an out of court settlement.
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