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Seventy-five retired National Football League players are suing the NFL citing mismanagement of concussions and willful concealment of evidence of the long-term effects of head injuries which led to the players' current brain damage.
Studies on brain trauma led the National Football League to change its rule regarding concussions in 2009. The change required any player suffering severe concussion symptoms to not return to the field that day. A medical committee had been formed to study the effects of concussions in 1994 and literature was given to players in 2007 essentially telling them concussions, when properly treated, will not hamper their continued playing.(WCxKit)
Previously, players had been allowed back on the field once symptoms had subsided, going against recommendations from industry experts for several of the previous years. Further studies have indicated a higher level of dementia in retired players – possible result of lifelong brain trauma. Depression, vision issues, and memory impairment have all been linked to multiple head injuries.
According to a Oct. 21 New York Times article (part of an exploratory series on the NFL and brain injuries), “Contrary to popular belief, a concussion is not a bruise to the brain caused by hitting a hard surface. Indeed, no physical swelling or bleeding is usually seen on radiological scans. The injury generally occurs when the head either accelerates rapidly and then is stopped, or is spun rapidly. This violent shaking causes the brain cells to become depolarized and fire all their neurotransmitters at once in an unhealthy cascade, flooding the brain with chemicals and deadening certain receptors linked to learning and memory. The results often include confusion, blurred vision, memory loss, nausea and, sometimes, unconsciousness. Neurologists say once a person suffers a concussion, he is as much as four times more likely to sustain a second one. Moreover, after several concussions, it takes less of a blow to cause the injury and requires more time to recover.”
The article goes on to say, “A 2000 study surveyed 1,090 former N.F.L. players and found more than 60 percent had suffered at least one concussion in their careers and 26 percent had had three or more. Those who had had concussions reported more problems with memory, concentration, speech impediments, headaches and other neurological problems than those who had not, the survey found.”(WCxKit)
The suit, filed in Superior Court in Los Angeles seeks an unspecified amount of damages above the jurisdictional minimum of $25,000.
Author Rebecca Shafer, JD, President of Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. is a national expert in the field of workers compensation. She is a writer, speaker, and website publisher. Her expertise is working with employers to reduce workers compensation costs, and her clients include airlines, healthcare, printing, publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality, and manufacturing. See www.LowerWC.com for more information. Contact: RShafer@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com.
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