More former NFL football players are suing the league and helmet maker
Riddell for personal injury and products liability. The first complaint,
filed in California, was submitted by 75 ex-pro players who claimed the
National Football League concealed the head injury risks involved in playing
the sport.
The plaintiffs of both lawsuits are accusing the NFL of failing until
last year to let the athletes and the public know that players risked
serious injury from concussions even though the league has known this
information since the 1920′s. Last year, the NFL acknowledged that
concussions sustained during the game can result in brain injury symptoms,
including memory loss and dementia.
As the official maker of helmets for professional football players, Riddell
Sports Group is being sued for products liability. The plaintiffs don’t
believe that the helmets were made to protect from concussions, even though
it is well-known that severe blows to the head can happen during football
games. The plaintiffs also believe that the companies have been well aware
of the damage that brain injuries cause in the long run.
Even in 2000, a study that surveyed over 1,090 ex-NFL players and noted
that more than 60% had sustained at least one concussion while playing
(26% had suffered at least three concussions) found that players who suffered
this type of head injury later experienced more problems with concentration,
memory, speech, and neurological challenges, as well as suffered from
more headaches. A concussion is a type of brain injury.
In 2007, the study from the University of North Carolina’s Center
for the Study of Retired Athletes found that of the nearly 600 ex-NFL
players who sustained at least three concussions while playing the game,
20% of them suffered from depression–a rate that is 3 times greater
than for players who never had a concussion.
In 2009, the NFL commissioned a study finding that ex-pro football players
seemed more prone to developing memory-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s,
than the general population. The University of Michigan’s Institute
for Social Research conducted the study.
As for the making of football helmets, the standard has not changed in
more than three decades. If Riddell and other helmet manufacturers (football
isn’t just played by professionals) are not doing enough to create
helmets that protect players from concussions even though they know this
type of injury is a possible risk, then they could be held liable for
products liability.
Last year, Rutgers player Eric LeGrand became paralyzed from the neck
down when his helmet struck an opposing player’s shoulder. Atlanta
Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson and Philadelphia Eagles receiver DeSean
Jackson suffered head injuries when their helmets collided. If these helmets
could/should have been tougher, the players may have grounds for filing
personal injury lawsuits.
In January, New Mexico Senator Tom Udall wrote a letter to the Federal
Trade Commission accusing Riddell, which also makes football helmets for
high school athletes and younger kids, and Shutt Sports of engaging in
“misleading marketing” that made their helmets appear more
safe. Udall wants the Consumer Product Safety Commission to make a decision
on whether the current helmet safety standards are enough to protect younger
football players.
Ex-players hit NFL, Riddell with lawsuit, The News Tribune, July 21, 2011
Udall Seeks Investigation of Misleading Football Helmet Safety Claims,
Tom Udall, January 4, 2011
Rutgers Player Is Paralyzed Below the Neck, NY Times, October 17, 2010
The Problem with Football: How to Make It Safer, Time, January 28, 2010
Related Web Resources:
NFL
Riddell
More Blog Posts:
CPSC Says Certain Kids’ Outerwear with Drawstrings Pose Strangulation,
Entrapment and Death Hazard to Kids, Product Liability Law Blog, July 18, 2011
Target Recalls 350,000 Woven Storage Trunks After Toddler Sustains Traumatic
Brain Injury During Strangulation Accident, Product Liability Law Blog,
March 20, 2010
Defective Clothing Can Cause Serious Injuries, Product Liability Law Blog,
June 19, 2008
Our products liability law firm represents clients that have sustained traumatic brain injuries and other catastrophic injuries because of defective products.
