New Brain Injury Lawsuits Filed by Professional Athletes

Chicago, IL (Law Firm Newswire) March 14, 2014 – More lawsuits have been filed by professional athletes claiming traumatic brain injury (TBI).

In the wake of the $765 million settlements by former football players against the National Football League (NFL), more professional athletes have begun to claim their employers knew or should have known about the potential for serious brain injuries and that they should have done more to protect their players.

“Just as the NFL lawsuit raised public awareness of the issue, scientific research is building on our knowledge of the causes of traumatic brain injury,” remarked Paul Greenberg, a Chicago brain injury attorney. “When someone suffers a brain injury as a result of the negligence of another, then a personal injury lawsuit may be appropriate.”

One of the lawsuits has been filed by five former Kansas City Chiefs players, who allegedly suffer from post-concussion syndrome, severe headaches, mood swings, depression, suicidal ideation and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). The players claim that the Kansas City Chiefs should have known of the dangers of concussions as early as 1966. That year, a report on the subject was released by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. According to the lawsuit, the team should have known that without proper treatment, concussions could lead to impairments such as the ones from which the players allegedly suffer.

Meanwhile, Gary Leeman, a former all-star hockey defenseman, and and nine other players have filed a class-action brain injury lawsuit against the National Hockey League (NHL), claiming that the league failed to take proper precautions to protect players from brain injuries.

According to the lawsuit, the hockey league did a study of brain injuries in 1997, creating a seven-year concussion program. However, the players claim that the league took no action to bring down the number or severity of player concussions during this time. According to the lawsuit, no action was taken until 2010, with the introduction of the so-called “head check” penalty. The lawsuit claims that the NHL actively concealed the dangers of concussions and exposed players to unnecessary risks.

The football lawsuit was filed in the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Missouri at Kansas City. The hockey lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.