Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers G Arron Sears family sues franchise - NFL News
Former National Football League (NFL) guard and Tampa Bay Buccaneers player, Arron Sears’ family has filed a lawsuit in Hillsborough Circuit Court, against the Buccaneers blaming them for Sears’ psychological problems.
The player who was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2007 played for just two seasons in the NFL before being released after problems with his mental health did not subside.
Now the family has launched court action against the franchise and included helmet manufacturer Riddell in a lawsuit blaming them for the former guard’s condition.
Sears parents claim that the franchise was negligent and failed to raise awareness about the side effects players faced from having multiple concussions and head injuries.
They also claim that football is the main reason that Sears is now faced with communication problems as well as displays of uncontrolled anger.
Sears’ family filed the suit along with two other plaintiffs, Jimmie Giles and Donald Smith, who also played for Tampa Bay in the 1980s.
According to the Tampa Bay Times the suit read:
"Sears has almost total loss of function, is unable to care for himself and cannot take (care) of his day-to-day activities. Further, Arron Sears has extreme displays of temper and anger with the appurtenant risk of causing harm to himself and others."
This is the first time any lawsuit relating to concussions has been made against a specific team and not only the NFL.
The league released a statement through its spokesman, Brian McCarthy, which stated:
"The NFL and its clubs have long made player safety a priority and continues to do so. Any allegation that the NFL or its clubs intentionally sought to mislead players has no merit. It stands in contrast to the league's actions to better protect players
and advance the science and medical understanding of the management and treatment of concussions."
Sears’ parents have claimed monetary damages from the suit.
The NFL is already facing hundreds of lawsuits filed by former players who blame the league for the psychological problems they face due to the effects of concussions.
This does not seem to be only lawsuit filed by a former player against a franchise and it could be expected that after Sears’ filing many others may follow suit.
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