Christina Spicer  |  January 29, 2019

Category: Legal News

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Former college football players have recently hit the National Collegiate Athletic Association with a barrage of class action lawsuits alleging that the organization failed to protect student athletes from the risk of concussions.

Concussions can lead to long-term problems, including brain damage, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and memory loss, allege the plaintiffs.

The NCAA class action lawsuits further allege that the association knew of the increased risks faced by college athletes who experience concussions, but failed to implement safer policies, like rigorous concussion management protocols.

One plaintiff, Abe Mack IV, who filed an NCAA concussion class action lawsuit alleges that while playing football at Cameron University in Oklahoma from 1991 to 1992, he suffered multiple concussions, along with other hits.

“During the course of a college football season, athletes absorb more than 1,000 impacts greater than 10 Gs (gravitational force) and, worse yet, the majority of football-related hits to the head exceed 20 Gs, with some approaching 100 Gs,” alleges the NCAA concussion class action lawsuit.

“To put this in perspective, if you drove your car into a wall at twenty-five miles per hour and weren’t wearing a seatbelt, the force of you hitting the windshield would be around 100 Gs. Thus, each season these 18, 19, 20, and 21-year-old student-athletes are subjected to repeated car accidents.”

Mack says that despite medical evidence that recommended post-concussion care going as far back as the 1930s, there was no concussion management programs applied to him or other NCAA players.

“As a result, Plaintiff Mack now suffers from issues including, but not limited to, depression, emotional instability, loss of impulse control, loss of inhibition, loss of concentration, motor impairment, short-term memory loss, and suicidal thoughts,” NCAA concussion class action lawsuit states.

The NCAA class action lawsuits contend that medical professionals have warned that concussions, especially repeated concussions, can lead to long-term negative consequences, for decades.

According to Mack’s NCAA football concussion class action lawsuit, the NCAA knew of the severe health problems faced by student athletes who experienced concussions for decades, but refused to warn players, coaches, and parents.

In fact, Mack says it wasn’t until 2010 that the NCAA decided to implement any procedures related to traumatic brain injuries related to playing sports in college.

Numerous NCAA class action lawsuits were filed over the weekend all seeking to cover student athletes who played football for universities across the nation. Law360 reports that the NCAA will likely be hit with more than 200 concussion lawsuits this year alone.

The NCAA concussion class action lawsuits submitted and set to be filed will reportedly represent student athletes who participated in college football from as long ago as 1952.

Hundreds of players from institutions across the nation claim that their health and safety was neglected by the NCAA in the “play to win” context of college football.

In 2014, the NCAA agreed to pay $75 million to cover medical monitoring for former college athletes but there have been numerous objections to the deal. A final approval hearing for this NCAA class action settlement is set for Feb. 25.

Mack is represented by Jeff Raizner of Raizner Slania LLP and Jay Edelson, Benjamin H. Richman and Rafey S. Balabanian of Edelson PC.

The NCAA Football Concussion Class Action Lawsuit is Mack v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, Case No. 1:19-­cv­-00249, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

The NCAA Multidistrict Litigation is In re: National Collegiate Athletic Association Student-Athlete Concussion Injury Litigation, MDL No. 2492, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

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2 thoughts onNCAA Football Concussion Class Action Lawsuits Pile Up

  1. Ramona says:

    What about cheerleaders who fall numerous times on their heads and get numerous concussions before even starting college??? My daughter has complained about all these symptoms and shes a senior in highschool and has been cheering since, 2011

    now suffers from issues including, but not limited to, depression, emotional instability, loss of impulse control, loss of inhibition, loss of concentration, motor impairment, short-term memory loss, and suicidal thoughts,” NCAA concussion class action lawsuit states.

  2. Nikki Sykes says:

    Add Me

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