Five former players suing Chiefs over concussions

[Redfairen]

Source: Kansas City Star

The Kansas City Chiefs are being sued by five former players who are hoping to learn what the team knew about concussions, and when it was known. They are seeking undisclosed financial damages.

Kevin Porter, Joe Phillips, Louis Cooper, Chris Martin and Leonard Griffin are suing for damages related to brain injuries suffered during their National Football League careers. A copy of the lawsuit, which will be filed this afternoon in Jackson County circuit court, was obtained by The Star.

“I believe this does have an opportunity to shine a light on our most prized sport and the dangers, which is something that we would all prefer not to look at,” said Dirk Vandever, one of the plaintiffs’ lead attorneys.

.......

The NFL recently agreed to settle what became known as the Concussion Case for $765 million, without admitting guilt or being required to reveal a timeline of the league’s knowledge about brain injuries.






Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/12/03/4666316/five-former-players-suing-chiefs.html

[tblue]

1. Not worth it.

I know NFL players make oodles of money, but for how much $ would you sell a healthy brain? So glad my kid didn't want to play football. The ones who don't make the team are the lucky ones.

[brewens]

2. As a high school sophomore in a pretty good program, I was a good prospect

and made varsity. I pretty much got last pick of helmets and there was one left that would fit me. This was 1976 and that one was a 60's vintage suspension style helmet. It had the same shell, paint job and modern shape as the rest but the suspension is just straps like you find in a construction hard hat. Our newest helmets were top of the line Riddels with the air-foam squares.

I never got a full concussion but I had my teeth rattled a few times wearing that thing. Good thing I was a lineman and on most plays, if I banged heads with someone, it wasn't with much of a running start. We had a guy break one of those Riddell helmets and shatter the facemask in a wicked collision. That was a pretty serious concussion. The next year I had one of those and got in a collision serious enough to pop the chin strap, force the rim on the helmet down and break my nose! Had that happened with my soph helmet, it probably would have killed me! Probably not really but I'm glad I didn't find out.

Even in high school with NFL grade helmets, it's dangerous. We get a few kids killed every year. I'm still a fan but what would once have been unthinkable, banning football or anything close, I at least wouldn't come out on the pro football side now. I think we're just hearing about the tip of the iceberg.

[dreamnightwind]

3. Pad the outside of the helmets already

It wouldn't solve all of the problems, but I've never understood why they can't also pad the outside of the helmets. The helmets not only protect the wearer, but they inflict a lot of damage when the wearer hits someone with them. Many concussions are the result of helmet-to-helmet collisions. Such collisions could be less damaging if the hard plastic of the helmet's exterior was covered by something squishy to absorb shock rather than inflict punishment.

[jessie04]

4. That wouldn't stop the brain from banging back and forth.

And it's not only the CONCUSSIVE hits that does the damage but the SUB-CONCUSSIVE hits as well.

Go to PBS.COM and watch League of Denial.

It blew me away.

[dreamnightwind]

5. It would reduce the impact caused by the helmet

not on the wearer, but on a player who gets hit by that player's helmet, which happens often, sometimes hitting the other player's head, sometimes hitting other parts of their body. Seems pretty obvious.

Your point is valid but not a contradiction to mine, really not even relevant to my point. To your point, hopefully they will also make and adopt helmet technology that better protects the brain of the helmet-wearer, but I never hear discussion of padding the outside to better protect people hit by the helmets.

[Angleae]

7. But how would you prevent the outside padding from snagging on whatever it runs into?

Possible concussion vs possible broken neck.

[Bragi]

8. Huh?

You mean what happens if a padded helmet comes into contact with, ah, what, exactly? Another padded helmet? The 1st down marker? I'm having trouble imagining the potential harm you seem to be imagining.

[dreamnightwind]

10. Really?

You think the reason the exterior of the helmet is hard plastic is to keep it from snagging? Not buying it. Cover it with a strong cloth or whatever, that part would be relatively easy to deal with.

No, honestly I think this has just been overlooked (padding helmet exterior) because everyone is busy looking at legislating how to hit someone legally (excellent thing to focus on) and how to protect the brain inside of the helmet (also excellent thing to focus on), ignoring the injury contributions that come from the very hard plastic helmet striking players.

They probably also think padding the exterior would look funny, a very image-conscious league, might be true but player safety is more important.

[Sheldon Cooper]

6. I've been told, right here on DU, that making rule changes to better protect the players

would mean that it just wouldn't be football anymore. And apparently, we can't have that. We must have our entertainments, guys routinely getting their clocks cleaned for the viewing pleasure of the audience, don't you know.

I've also been told, right here on DU. that requiring porn actors to wear condoms would ruin porn for the viewer, and that these actors (and actresses) know the dangers of unprotected sex and any sort of attempt to protect them is just the "nanny state" in action.

So this teaches me that the almighty weekly blood sport that is the NFL, and the god-given right to masturbate to materials that are unimpeded by little things like worker safety, are paramount in the eyes of people here, the premiere liberal website on the internet.

Workers rights be damned, I want to see guys get knocked senseless and then masturbate to the money shots. This is America by God!

[Bragi]

9. Football as we know it won't be around much longer

I sincerely believe that you can't actually change the rules of football without changing the game to the point that it is not the same sport at all.

Specifically, right now the ethos of the game is "maximum force". For example, if a player hits an opponent so hard that they literally knock them unconscious, resulting in a fumble, then that is a "good" football play.

As long as this is the case, there will be brain damage. If they change the rules so that tacklers have to reduce the force they use to stop an opponent, then you really don't have the same game at all. (Flag ball is a good participation sport, but won't likely pack stadiums.)

Beyond this, and beyond the costly litigation by damaged players that won't stop, it is also going to become increasingly difficult to find parents willing to let their kids play a game at early age and suffer brain damage.

As finally, high schools and colleges will eventually come under legal and social pressure for earning money off a sport that features inevitable brain damage to many players, if not most.

So as I see it, and as hard as it may be to imagine now, football as we know it is doomed. It's just a matter of time.

There are other team sports in a similar situation, notably hockey. However, the advantage that hockey has is that head-shots and goon fighting are irrelevant to the game itself. If they are banned, then the game will not go on largely as we know it, the result will likely be an even faster and more entertaining sport, with longer careers for the best players.

- B