Dermontti Dawson & Bubby Brister among latest to join concussion lawsuits against NFL

[RuthlessBurgher]

Concussion lawsuits don’t take a Fourth of July break
Posted by Mike Florio on July 6, 2012, 6:20 PM EDT

The NFL has slowed down (relatively speaking) over the last week, but the burgeoning NFL concussion lawsuit industry hasn’t.

According to the folks at NFLConcussionLitigation.com (actually, it’s just one “folk,” and he’s now studying for the bar exam so there will be no updates until the end of the month), another 170 or so former players have joined the parade this week, pushing the total number of players suing the league north of 2,600.

The names include Bubby Brister, Bill Maas, Christian Okoye (who perhaps should have specifically named Steve Atwater as a defendant), soon-to-be-Hall of Famer Dermontti Dawson, and Stephen Davis (who perhaps should have specifically named Michael Westbrook as a defendant).

Soon, it will indeed be easier to simply name the former players who haven’t sued the league for concussions.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/06/concussion-lawsuits-dont-take-a-fourth-of-july-break/

[flippy]

I heard somewhere that Peyton Manning intentionally faked a baseline concussion test so that he wouldn't have a real concussion and not be able to pass the test and get held out of a game.

So that tells me, players are willing to trade immediate gratification for their long term health. Peyton has all the info about concussions. And he's still willing to take the risks.

I suspect of these 2600 players, they all would have taken the same risks if they knew all the info.

This is a bogus lawsuit. And likely a bunch of players just trying to make a quick buck in a bad economy because their careers are done and they didn't learn other skills to support themselves after football.

I'm sure there may be some guys that have a legit claim. But I suspect most don't.

[D Rock]

I've had concussions. I'm going to sue myself, my parents, my highschool, and the state of Pennsylvania.

[RuthlessBurgher]

I've had concussions.

That explains a lot. :p

[Crash]

I'd like to know how many of these guys have squandered their money away?

[BURGH86STEEL]

Players could win this lawsuit based on the fact that the league did very little or nothing when players suffered concussions. This could get very interesting.

[Vis]

Players could win this lawsuit based on the fact that the league did very little or nothing when players suffered concussions. This could get very interesting.

The allegation is the league paid for a bogus brain injury study run by the league doctor who was just an internist, not a neurologist or neuropsychologist. That allegation is true. The endgame isn't a payoff for those in the suit, it's a pension plan for all past, present and future players. Remember that the league denied Mike Webster help. The cynical tort reform bs above is uninformed.

Hi, I'n new here. Any old friends from other forums?

[Oviedo]

Dawson blew his money on bad real estate investments. Brister porbably just blew his. This is all about guys trying to milk the "golden goose" for all it is worth. You don't see John Stallworth suing do you? He successfully created and led a multi-million dolar business. Strange how he has no concussion symptoms. This is nothing but a money grab by guys who got use to living high on the hog and now they have to live and work like everyone else and they don't like it.

[Vis]

Dawson blew his money on bad real estate investments. Brister porbably just blew his. This is all about guys trying to milk the "golden goose" for all it is worth. You don't see John Stallworth suing do you? He successfully created and led a multi-million dolar business. Strange how he has no concussion symptoms. This is nothing but a money grab by guys who got use to living high on the hog and now they have to live and work like everyone else and they don't like it.

Wrong. Read the actual pleadings. Read about the NFL's stance on the issue in the 80's and 90's. The info is out there is you care enough to look. Or stick to the knee jerk character assassination of every player who is part of the suit without any effort at all.

Look at your signature. You are being the fantasy football player of legal and medical issues.

[Jooser]

Bubby rules. If he got a concussion it was because he slammed the ball to hard and it ricocheted back and hit him. JK :p

[Vis]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2636795

http://www.braininjuryresearchinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/About-Brain-Injuries.pdf

http://www.brainline.org/landing_pages/categories/abouttbi.html?utm_source=googlecpcnetwork&utm_medium=displaynetwork&utm_campaign=displaynetwork

http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/4/134/134ra60

[hawaiiansteel]

Dawson's Hall call on court detour

July 12, 2012
By Dan Gigler / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

With his induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame just a few weeks away, former Steelers center Dermontti Dawson is among the latest former NFL players to file suit against the league for head injuries sustained while playing professional football.

According to a suit filed July 3 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, Dawson and three other ex-Steelers -- running back Stephen Avery, wide receiver Jeff Graham and safety Jonathan Staggers -- are among 47 former players being represented by attorneys John D. Giddens and Phillip Thomas in Jackson, Miss.

The suit alleges that the league "was aware of the evidence and the risks associated with repetitive traumatic brain injuries and concussions for decades, but deliberately ignored and actively concealed the information from the Plaintiffs and all others who participated in organized football at all levels" and that the repeated injuries can lead to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE.

CTE is a degenerative brain disease associated with a history of concussions and head traumas. Researchers say it can lead to depression, erratic behaviors, memory loss and ultimately early onset dementia.

The suit cites the cases of Steelers Hall of Fame center Mike Webster and guard Terry Long -- both teammates of Dawson -- among several other NFL players who have been disabled or died by their own hand, with CTE as a culprit.

Webster died of heart failure in 2002 at the age of 50, after being mentally disabled from repeated head injuries, the suit said. Long committed suicide in '05 after battling depression which may have been brought on by CTE.

The suit does not specify injuries to Dawson nor any of the other players involved.

More than 2,600 former players and their spouses have filed suit against the NFL to date, including dozens who played all or part of their careers with the Steelers.

Dawson, 47, was a second-round draft pick of the Steelers in 1988 and he played his entire career in Pittsburgh. He started in five games at right guard as a rookie before taking over starting center duties from Webster in '89. At one point he played 170 consecutive games. A seven-time Pro Bowl and six-time first-team All-Pro selection, nagging hamstring injuries ultimately ended his career. He was released after the 2000 season and then retired.

He will be enshrined into the Hall Aug. 4 in Canton, Ohio.

Avery was with the Steelers from 1993-95, the final three seasons of his five-season NFL career.

Graham was a second-round draft for the Steelers in '91 and was with the team through the '93 season.

He played eight more seasons with the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and San Diego Chargers.

Staggers was a fifth-round draft pick for the Steelers in '70 and played that season and the '71 season for the team before playing four more seasons with the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions.

The plaintiffs' attorneys could not be reached for comment, nor could a spokesperson for the NFL.

In response to previous lawsuits, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy has said that "the NFL has long made player safety a priority and continues to do so. Any allegation that the NFL intentionally sought to mislead players has no merit.

"It stands in contrast to the league's actions to better protect players and advance the science and medical understanding of the management and treatment of concussions."

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/dawsons-hall-call-on-court-detour-644493/#ixzz20TcYxUpx

[Oviedo]

Wrong. Read the actual pleadings. Read about the NFL's stance on the issue in the 80's and 90's. The info is out there is you care enough to look. Or stick to the knee jerk character assassination of every player who is part of the suit without any effort at all.

Look at your signature. You are being the fantasy football player of legal and medical issues.

These players knew what the risks are. They knew they were playing a physical game. They were not mislead or mistreated. They did it for the money. When you willingly choose to do something for material gain you can't get a do over. Thats not character assassination that is the real world.

You can sign up to the poor exploited workers angle for these players but that is total BS. BTW I am very well informed about concussions since I come from a family of doctors and nurses and have dealt with a concussion with my own daughter playing soccer and several of her friends as a coach on their team. I have done quite a bit of research on the topic.

[Vis]

These players knew what the risks are. They knew they were playing a physical game. They were not mislead or mistreated. They did it for the money. When you willingly choose to do something for material gain you can't get a do over. Thats not character assassination that is the real world.

You can sign up to the poor exploited workers angle for these players but that is total BS. BTW I am very well informed about concussions since I come from a family of doctors and nurses and have dealt with a concussion with my own daughter playing soccer and several of her friends as a coach on their team. I have done quite a bit of research on the topic.

They didn't know the risks. That's the point. The NFL had a study done that hid the truth. If fact it lied. They followed big tobacco's plan. And in following the plan and the lie, they put people back on the field in the same game they were concussed.

In your research you should have learned how dangerous and stupid that was. The NFL knew and still did it. That is actionable. The doctors who told players they were fine to go back on thew field weren't getting true informed consent from the player unless they explained the true risks which they did not. In that way the players were very much misled.

[NorthCoast]

Sorry Vis, no matter how hard you try to argue it you will find few sympathesizers that think the lawsuits are altruistic. This is about money, billable hours, and years of litigation that could lead to a golden goose for the law firms involved.
In the interest of fairness I am attaching the following for reaching your own judgements:



THE CONCUSSION DISCUSSIONTHE BEGINNING2002: Dr. Bennet Omalu makes news when he examines the 50-year-old brain of deceased Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame center Mike Webster. In the first examination of its kind on an NFL player, Omalu found evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disorder associated with repeated head trauma. Today, according to Boston University's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, the brains of 18 of 19 dead ex-NFL players have shown evidence of CTE.
LOWLIGHTSNov. 20, 2006: Former Eagles and Cardinals safety Andre Waters commits suicide with a gunshot to the head. Omalu examines samples of Waters' 44-year-old brain and determines that it had degenerated to that of an 85-year-old man.
Feb. 17, 2011: Former Bears safety Dave Duerson, who was experiencing cognitive complications when he wrote a note that said, "Please, see that my brain is given to the NFL's brain bank." Then he killed himself with a gunshot to the chest.
April 19, 2012: Former Falcons safety Ray Easterling, who in 2011 was the first lead plaintiff to file a federal class-action concussion lawsuit against the league, commits suicide as his dementia worsens at age 62.
May 2, 2012: Future Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau kills himself with a gunshot to the chest. He was 43.
LEAGUE REACTIONThe NFL, which was slow to recognize and accept the potential long-term effects of repeated head trauma, argues that it couldn't possibly have known the effects considering medical science only started to begin understanding it just 10 years ago. "Any allegation that the NFL intentionally sought to mislead players has no merit," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in a recent statement. "It stands in contrast to the league's actions to better protect players and advance the science and medical understanding of the management and treatment of concussions."
GOODELL FACTORNamed NFL Commissioner in 2006, Roger Goodell has made it a point of emphasis to change the culture by cracking down on illegal hits. A turning point in his crusade came following the third week of the 2010 season, which was marked by several violent helmet-to-helmet hits. On Oct. 19 of that year, he fined Steelers linebacker James Harrison, Falcons cornerback Dunta Robinson and Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather for their controversial hits the previous weekend. Goodell also released a memo to all teams that said, "It is clear to me that further action is required to emphasize the importance of teaching safe and controlled techniques, and playing within the rules." Goodell promised not only incremental fines, but suspensions for repeat offenders. This year, Goodell punished the Saints particularly hard for their bounty program

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/157365285.html

[Oviedo]

They didn't know the risks. That's the point. The NFL had a study done that hid the truth. If fact it lied. They followed big tobacco's plan. And in following the plan and the lie, they put people back on the field in the same game they were concussed.

In your research you should have learned how dangerous and stupid that was. The NFL knew and still did it. That is actionable. The doctors who told players they were fine to go back on thew field weren't getting true informed consent from the player unless they explained the true risks which they did not. In that way the players were very much misled.

We can disagree on this topic but I don't buy into "I'm a victim angle and I'll be better with money."

[Vis]

We can disagree on this topic but I don't buy into "I'm a victim angle and I'll be better with money."

The ones who are hurt won't ever be better but some might need long term care. Many of the plaintiffs aren't even claiming injuries, they just want to force the NFL to take care of the players who are bad off. Look at how the NFL treated Mike Webster. If you aren't aware of the story it's easy to find.

[fezziwig]

They wear helmets, that should have been a clue to them that they possibly could receive head injuries. WTH, they know going in that injuries will occur. I would like to know how many of these players would not sign on the dotted line if their contracts when entering the NFL read, " This sport, your job could cause you injuries at the present time and possibly in the future and the NFL along with the NFL teams are not liable for any injuries that may occur. " Half of them would yell out, " show me the money ! " while signing their contracts. I agree, it's a chance for a free ride from theNFL gravy train.

[Vis]

They wear helmets, that should have been a clue to them that they possibly could receive head injuries. WTH, they know going in that injuries will occur. I would like to know how many of these players would not sign on the dotted line if their contracts when entering the NFL read, " This sport, your job could cause you injuries at the present time and possibly in the future and the NFL along with the NFL teams are not liable for any injuries that may occur. " Half of them would yell out, " show me the money ! " while signing their contracts. I agree, it's a chance for a free ride from theNFL gravy train.

They had a right to rely on the team doctor on the sideline didn't they? They aren't gladiators in the arena giving up their future health for your entertainment. They are skilled athletes who deserve truth from team physicians. And if you educate yourself on the suits you would know that not all of the plaintiffs are seeking money for injuries or even claiming injuries. What gravy train are they seeking. I'll wait while you read up on the topic, read the actual suit papers, or whatever else you need to do to be able to speak from a position of knowledge.

[Vis]

(NEWSER) – More than 2,000 former NFL players will file the largest sports lawsuit in history today, combining their various concussion-related complaints against the league. The suit claims that the "NFL exacerbated the health risk by promoting the game's violence" and "deliberately and fraudulently" hid the danger of long-term brain injury from players, according to ABC News. It also accuses the league's media arm of helping by "mythologizing" the violence of the sport.

The suit seeks to make the league handle medical monitoring and treatment for its retirees, the AP reports. It combines 81 previously filed lawsuits, which together included 3,356 plaintiffs, including 2,138 players. The rest of the plaintiffs are family members, like Mary Ann Easterling, whose husband, former Falcons safety Roy Easterling, committed suicide in April. "I wish I could sit down with (Roger Goodell) and share with him the pain," she said. "It's not just the spouses, it's the kids, too." The NFL says the suit "has no merit."

[Vis]

One of ours:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1972285


Game Brain
Let’s say you run a multibillion-dollar football league. And let’s say the scientific community—starting with one young pathologist in Pittsburgh and growing into a chorus of neuroscientists across the country—comes to you and says concussions are making your players crazy, crazy enough to kill themselves, and here, in these slices of brain tissue, is the proof. Do you join these scientists and try to solve the problem, or do you use your power to discredit them?


Read More http://www.gq.com/sports/profiles/200909/nfl-players-brain-dementia-study-memory-concussions#ixzz20Y9Bhpmh

[Vis]

For decades the medical community knew that repeated blows to the head caused long term brain damage in boxers.
In 1994 after a string of incidents, the NFL decided to research MTBI and its effects.* Strangely, Commissioner Tagliabue named a rheumatologist (Dr. Pellman), not a neurologist, to run the study.* Dr. Pellman admitted that prior to the study most team physicians relied on “on-field anecdotes” to treat concussions and the purpose of the study was to provide facts and direction for team physicians.
Strangely, the results of the NFL’s research contradicted commonplace concussion management protocols and other research being conducted by neurologists across the country.* The NFL’s published findings stated that concussions “were not serious injuries” and doctors should use their discretion rather than follow an “arbitrary, rigid” concussion management system.* This shocked many in the medical community and contradicted NCAA studies and practices.
Beginning in 2002, autopsies of former players’ brains showed an unusual build up of dangerous proteins believed to be the result of repeated concussions and sub-concussive events. * The condition, named CTE, is marked by memory loss, insomnia, speech difficulties, impulse control and depression.* Researchers notified the NFL and published their findings.
In 2007, the NFL published its own brochures for players that stated that research “has not shown that having more than one or two concussions leads to permanent problems if each injury is managed properly.”* The brochure did not mention the research on CTE and NFL sponsored researchers continued to dispute that concussions caused brain damage in dead players.
In 2009, Congress held hearings on the NFL’s management of concussions. The fact that the NFL funded its own research that stood in such contrast to what mainstream medicine understood about MTBI/concussions led Congress to compare the NFL’s actions to the tobacco industry of the 1990s.
In July 2010, less than one year after denying that concussions can lead to permanent damage, the NFL dramatically changed course.* They put up posters in locker rooms that cautioned its players that multiple concussions could cause permanent brain damage, memory loss, personality changes, depression and dementia. Concussions, the posters said, “can change your life and your family’s life forever.”
As more information comes to light, over 2,000 players have filed suit.*

[Vis]

Study of Retired NFL Players Finds Evidence of Brain Damage

Last Updated: June 29, 2012.
*

In tests, they had higher rates of depression, memory deficits and 'white matter' damage

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In tests, they had higher rates of depression, memory deficits and 'white matter' damage.
By Maureen Salamon
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, June 29 (HealthDay News) -- Tests performed on a group of retired NFL players revealed that more than 40 percent suffered from problems such as depression and dementia, adding to a growing pile of evidence that repeated sports-related head traumas can lead to lasting neurological issues.

Analyzing 34 ex-professional football players (average age 62) on benchmarks such as memory, reasoning, problem-solving and behavior, researchers from the Center for Brain Health at the University of Texas at Dallas found that 20 tested normal while the rest suffered from depression, various deficits in memory/thinking or a combination of these issues. Twenty-six of the players also underwent MRI scans.

"We picked up that many guys were depressed but didn't know it," added study author Dr. John Hart, medical science director at the center. "The cognitive impairments . . . were more than what's expected for their ages. A lot had damage to their brain's white matter, so for us it's a real clue or marker to look for."

Hart is scheduled to present the findings Friday at the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) annual meeting in St. Louis. Research presented at scientific meetings should be considered preliminary until it is published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

An estimated 300,000 sports-related concussions occur in the United States each year, and mounting attention is being paid to the neurological toll of those injuries on former professional athletes. In June, a massive bundle of lawsuits representing more than 2,100 National Football League players was filed against the league, claiming that the NFL hid information linking football-related head injuries to permanent brain damage.

Hart's study involved ex-NFL athletes hailing from the North Texas region. For comparison purposes, the researchers also looked at the brains of 26 people with no signs of mental deficits, selected from the general population and matched for age, education and IQ.

Of the eight former players who were found to have depression -- the finding that most surprised Hart -- most didn't exhibit the mood issues such as sadness that are typically associated with the condition, he said.

Instead, "there was a lack of energy, initiative or sex drive and disrupted sleep, with weight gain or loss," Hart said. "They would ruminate or get anxious about stuff, but they weren't crying. They were shocked or surprised [at the finding], because they didn't think they had symptoms at all."

The results highlight the need to actively inquire about depressive symptoms among those who have suffered concussions, Hart said. Additionally, it's important to "let the brain rest and heal" following concussions instead of charging back onto the field -- which opens players to a phenomenon known as "second-impact syndrome." The brain can swell catastrophically when a second concussion occurs before symptoms of the first have abated.

Promoting a healthier approach to concussion recovery will take the cooperation of players, coaches, parents and even teachers at the high school or college level, who need to understand that even the mental exertion required in the classroom can be detrimental to getting better, added Paul J. Krawietz, director of the athletic training education program in the department of kinesiology at the University of Texas at Arlington.

"The testing and note-taking can exacerbate symptoms or make them worse if a student comes back too soon," Krawietz said. "People know symptoms can be made worse by physical exertion, but often they don't think about the cognitive component, that thinking can make things worse."

[RuthlessBurgher]

"Many guys were depressed but didn't know it."

"There was a lack of energy, initiative or sex drive and disrupted sleep, with weight gain or loss."

"They didn't think they had symptoms at all."

Guess what...even people who don't have repeated blows to the head tend to experience less energy, decreased sex drive, disrupted sleep, and weight gain as they get older. Does that mean we are all becoming more and more depressed...but just don't know it yet until a doctor tells us so?

And I don't get how every suicide from an NFL player is automatically assumed to be due to traumatic encephalopathy. What else might be at fault here instead of just filing it under "brain damage" without giving it a second thought?

Maybe it's because they were making money hand-over-fist for a short amount of time, and many players blew most if not all of it in a similarly short amount of time (which can have a damaging impact on one's relationships, most prominently their marriages).

Their high-self worth as a star football player since high school is suddenly taken away from them when they step off the field for the last time...when you have been identified as a football "hero" for so long, it's a difficult pill to swallow when the idol worship suddenly ceases, so former players may start to doubt their self-worth moving forward.

As a football player, your schedule is regimented from the time you first put on the cleats...coaches tell you when to practice, when to study, when to eat, and when to sleep...when football is over, many guys are unable to handle the most basic of responsibilities of average everyday life.

And when they have always been part of a team, experiencing the camaraderie of the locker room every day, when they no longer are "one of the guys" anymore...maybe these guys are just simply LONELY.

Brain injuries likely lead to the downfall of certain guys (like, say Mike Webster or Andre Waters), but we cannot simply assume that concussions are the reason for every NFL player suicide.

[Oviedo]

"Many guys were depressed but didn't know it."

"There was a lack of energy, initiative or sex drive and disrupted sleep, with weight gain or loss."

"They didn't think they had symptoms at all."

Guess what...even people who don't have repeated blows to the head tend to experience less energy, decreased sex drive, disrupted sleep, and weight gain as they get older. Does that mean we are all becoming more and more depressed...but just don't know it yet until a doctor tells us so?

And I don't get how every suicide from an NFL player is automatically assumed to be due to traumatic encephalopathy. What else might be at fault here instead of just filing it under "brain damage" without giving it a second thought?

Maybe it's because they were making money hand-over-fist for a short amount of time, and many players blew most if not all of it in a similarly short amount of time (which can have a damaging impact on one's relationships, most prominently their marriages).

Their high-self worth as a star football player since high school is suddenly taken away from them when they step off the field for the last time...when you have been identified as a football "hero" for so long, it's a difficult pill to swallow when the idol worship suddenly ceases, so former players may start to doubt their self-worth moving forward.

As a football player, your schedule is regimented from the time you first put on the cleats...coaches tell you when to practice, when to study, when to eat, and when to sleep...when football is over, many guys are unable to handle the most basic of responsibilities of average everyday life.

And when they have always been part of a team, experiencing the camaraderie of the locker room every day, when they no longer are "one of the guys" anymore...maybe these guys are just simply LONELY.

Brain injuries likely lead to the downfall of certain guys (like, say Mike Webster or Andre Waters), but we cannot simply assume that concussions are the reason for every NFL player suicide.

Add into that "when did the significant brain injury occur for a player who has been playing since they were 6 years old?" Maybe it really occurred when they were young and their brain was developing. I'm sure you could make a very strong argument that damage to a young forming brain has long term impact. Sue their parents and youth football.

Maybe it happened when they were getting that free college education playing in college. I bet you could look at a lot of former NFL player's college grades and make a strong case they must have had clear brain damage BEFORE entering the NFL. Sue the colleges and NCAA.

I just find it amazing that even for the players who played 10-12 years in the exploitive NFL not one ever had an indication of brain injuries that forced them not to accept an NFL paycheck. It just seems that all these problems occur when the NFL checks stop coming.

The reality is that none of these players know when they had their first concussion or a head injury serious enough to cause any damage. Players are blaming the NFL when in relaity they had played 10-12 years of football before they ever stepped onto an NFL football field. If anything one could argue that the best oversight and medical care they had in their lives was when they were in the NFL. However, the NFL is the cash cow so that is who they are going after.

[fezziwig]

[QUOTE=Vis;515805]They had a right to rely on the team doctor on the sideline didn't they? They aren't gladiators in the arena giving up their future health for your entertainment. They are skilled athletes who deserve truth from team physicians. And if you educate yourself on the suits you would know that not all of the plaintiffs are seeking money for injuries or even claiming injuries. What gravy train are they seeking. I'll wait while you read up on the topic, read the actual suit papers, or whatever else you need to do to be able to speak from a position of knowledge.[/QUOT


Were you there on every sideline to see if each player received or did not receive medical attention ? Again, what part of it being a physical sport don't you understand or that the players did not understand ? Injuries happen in sports and probably more with the NFL and NHL in my opinion. If a person is too stupid to realize they are the first and most important person to look out for their own health then, I can't dumb it down much more than that. Read all the reports you want and sit on that stack of papers until the cows come home, these players would walk through fire to do it all over again. Having said all that, I do feel bad for anyone that suffers bad health and injuries.

[NorthCoast]

Not to make light of what is a serious matter, both for the future of the league and its players, but were any of these players cat-lovers?


What does being a "cat lady" and committing suicide have in common? The results of aDenmark (http://www.examiner.com/topic/denmark)study (http://www.examiner.com/topic/study) on T. gondii (from parasite infection) shows that women who keep feline friends later in life are more likely to kill themselves or make an attempt.
Monday, the Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/9371006/Cat-ladies-more-likely-to-commit-suicide-scientists-claim.html)reported that a group of researchers in Denmark followed 45,000 women over a period of time to see if there was a relationship with T.gondii or Toxoplasma gondii and increased rates of suicide among "cat ladies."
Surprisingly, the results showed that women who were infected with the parasite were more likely to have mental disorders that could lead to more cases of self-inflicted death. What's more, the largest number of cases involved women who owned cats in their homes.
T.gondii lives naturally in the environment, and it is believed that at least one-third of the world's population is infected. However, many people live without symptoms. It's the ones that do that are worrying scientists.
"About one million people commit suicide and another 10 million attempt suicide worldwide each year. We hope that this type of research will one day help us find ways to save many lives that now end prematurely in suicide," said Doctor Albert Reece, vice president of medical affairs at the University of Maryland.

Researchers believe that "cat ladies" are one-and-a-half more times likely to commit suicide than those who are not cat owners. The rates go up from there especially if they have more infection with T.gondii.
The parasite hides within the cells of muscles and the brain and is usually passed on to humans from cat litter, as it thrives in their feces. However, it can also be spread from human to human by sharing contaminated cooking utensils, dishes and from failure to wash one's hands.
Other things may be responsible for the increased number of women trying to kill themselves. Maybe cat ladies have a mental disorder and are likely to turn to cats for companionship. And because the animals usually are carriers of the parasite, the results are distorted. As such, more research is needed before a definite conclusion is drawn. Nonetheless, cat lovers, beware.

[Oviedo]

[QUOTE=Vis;515805]They had a right to rely on the team doctor on the sideline didn't they? They aren't gladiators in the arena giving up their future health for your entertainment. They are skilled athletes who deserve truth from team physicians. And if you educate yourself on the suits you would know that not all of the plaintiffs are seeking money for injuries or even claiming injuries. What gravy train are they seeking. I'll wait while you read up on the topic, read the actual suit papers, or whatever else you need to do to be able to speak from a position of knowledge.[/QUOT


Were you there on every sideline to see if each player received or did not receive medical attention ? Again, what part of it being a physical sport don't you understand or that the players did not understand ? Injuries happen in sports and probably more with the NFL and NHL in my opinion. If a person is too stupid to realize they are the first and most important person to look out for their own health then, I can't dumb it down much more than that. Read all the reports you want and sit on that stack of papers until the cows come home, these players would walk through fire to do it all over again. Having said all that, I do feel bad for anyone that suffers bad health and injuries.


What you are advocating is individual responsibility for your own choices and actions. How do you expect a former NFL player to make any money out of that? The former players look at what current players are making and say "what the heck, I never made that much. The NFL is making more money so I want a piece."

This is a cash grab, nothing else. Do some of these oplayers have lingering effects. Of course, but truck drivers have back injuries, ditch diggers have back injuries, nurses have varicose veins from being on their feet, accountants have ulcers and hypertension, etc, etc. The difference is they don't expect to live an upper middle class life style the rest of their lives without working again in a lower paying, blue collar profession.

[RuthlessBurgher]

This is a cash grab, nothing else.

It would be one thing of the players were suing for a multi-billion dollar cash settlement...but that does not appear to be the case here. How is it a "cash grab" if Vis already reported that "The suit seeks to make the league handle medical monitoring and treatment for its retirees."

[Oviedo]

It would be one thing of the players were suing for a multi-billion dollar cash settlement...but that does not appear to be the case here. How is it a "cash grab" if Vis already reported that "The suit seeks to make the league handle medical monitoring and treatment for its retirees."


If all it ever turns out to be is health care like veterans get through the VA then I will gladly admit I'm wrong, but the cynic in me believes we will see a claim for "pain and suffering" that will result in money changing hands.

[Sugar]

If all it ever turns out to be is health care like veterans get through the VA then I will gladly admit I'm wrong, but the cynic in me believes we will see a claim for "pain and suffering" that will result in money changing hands.

And also remember that the plaintiffs attorneys haven't been canvassing for names to add to the suit for nothing. They aren't playing for the love of the game here.

[fezziwig]

Lack of focus, memory loss, trouble sleeping, mood swings, lack of sex drive, desire to do the everyday stuff in life, etc............ They just described me and correct me if I'm wrong......I believe that's called getting older.

[Sugar]

Lack of focus, memory loss, trouble sleeping, mood swings, lack of sex drive, desire to do the everyday stuff in life, etc............ They just described me and correct me if I'm wrong......I believe that's called getting older.

Low T, my man, Low T.

[Oviedo]

Lack of focus, memory loss, trouble sleeping, mood swings, lack of sex drive, desire to do the everyday stuff in life, etc............ They just described me and correct me if I'm wrong......I believe that's called getting older.

I'm there with you buddy. Maybe I should sure mother nature or life in general??????

[RuthlessBurgher]

Yancey Thigpen heads a group of players suing helmet-maker Riddell
Posted by Darin Gantt on July 15, 2016, 9:42 AM EDT


A week after Hall of Famer Paul Hornung filed a lawsuit against Riddell, another group of former NFL players including former Steelers wide receiver Yancey Thigpen filed their own suit against the helmet-maker.

According to the Associated Press, the lawsuit filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Cort in Chicago says the players suffered personal and financial injuries because they were not warned about potential long-term risks.

The players are seeking more than $50,000 in damages and a jury trial.

Other players filing the suit are” Gregory Boone, Larry Brinson, Michael Butler, Craig Curry, James Harrell, Willard Harrell, Robert Harris, Carlton “Bailey” Jones, Brad Quast, Thomas “John” Reaves, John Michael Reichenbach, Adam Schreiber and Eric Wright.

Hornung sued Riddell, claiming the helmets didn’t protect him from brain injuries. He has been diagnosed with dementia, according to his lawsuit.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/07/15/yancey-thigpen-heads-a-group-of-players-suing-helmet-maker-riddell/

[squidkid]

how come these POS arent suing the pee wee league, middle school, high school and colleges that they received far more hits in than while in the nfl

[bostonsteeler]

I expect many of them feel honestly justified. They did take beatings over the years, and the medical proof of the physical cost of these beatings just emerged. Their choices were uninformed, due to no fault of theirs or the leagues, but they gotta hold someone responsible I guess.

[squidkid]

im suing general motors if i get in an auto accident and get hurt............they never told me car crashes can hurt me or cause death.

[feltdizz]

im suing general motors if i get in an auto accident and get hurt............they never told me car crashes can hurt me or cause death.


terrible analogy.

its more like sueing GM because they said airbags werent important and seatbelts were overrated.

While I think all these guys knew the risk of playing football I think the NFL lied to them about how to treat concussions. They didnt give the players the correct info and thats why players will continue to sue.

What i dont agree with is sueing once you go broke.

[Slapstick]

The NFL had the info about concussions and actively worked to hide it...

[fordfixer]

im suing general motors if i get in an auto accident and get hurt............they never told me car crashes can hurt me or cause death.

You should read the Owners Manual

[RuthlessBurgher]

You should read the Owners Manual

I'm suing the guy who fixed my Ford. :stirpot :D

[fordfixer]

Ha Ha I've never worked in your area

[Captain Lemming]

I'm suing the guy who fixed my Ford. :stirpot :D
NICE!!!!
FF pitched that baby low slow and right over the plate for you and you swung that bat with "Ruthless" abandon.
Homerun on that "handle" hit.

THAT my friend is AWESOME.

[SanAntonioSteelerFan]

how come these POS arent suing the pee wee league, middle school, high school and colleges that they received far more hits in than while in the nfl

You're calling Dermanti Dawson and Bubby Brister POS? Really?