80 Concussion Suits Linked Together Against NFL

((HT: ESPN))

It's now called a "master complaint..."

Eighty separate lawsuits against the NFL claiming the league hid information pairing football-related head trauma to permanent brain injuries was put forth in Philadelphia.

"The NFL, like the sport of boxing, was aware of the health risks associated with repetitive blows producing sub-concussive and concussive results and the fact that some members of the NFL player population were at significant risk of developing long-term brain damage and cognitive decline as a result," the complaint charges.

"Despite its knowledge and controlling role in governing player conduct on and off the field, the NFL turned a blind eye to the risk and failed to warn and/or impose safety regulations governing this well-recognized health and safety problem."
Here's John Buccigross with the details...


Former Atlanta Falcons safety Ray Easterling's wife, Mary Ann, is one of the suit's plaintiffs along with the likes of Jim McMahon and the family of Dave Duerson.

Word has circulated around ex-NFL'ers that free phone consultations regarding California Workman’s Comp with a representative who specializes in California workers comp cases for former NFL players and free phone consultations regarding joining the Concussion Lawsuit with a lawyer involved in the case are available if claims haven't been filed.

Also, the Boston University researchers who are chasing Chronic Encephalopathy (CTE) are asking NFL'ers to participate in Stage 1 of a research project.

From the e-mail:

DETECT (Diagnosis and Evaluation of Traumatic Encephalopathy with Clinical
Tests): This study is the first research project on CTE to be funded by the
National Institutes of Health (NIH), with support from the National Institute of
Neurologic Diseases and Stroke (NINDS), the National Institute on Aging (NIA),
and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

The ultimate goal of this study is to develop methods of diagnosing CTE during
life through the use of a variety of tests, including MRI scans (such as
diffusion tensor imaging), MRS scans (also known as a “virtual biopsy”), blood
tests, and measures of proteins in spinal fluid. Participants will also undergo
neurological, psychiatric, and cognitive assessments, as well as genetic
testing. The study will include 150 former NFL players (ages 40-69) and 50
same-age “control” athletes who played non-contact sports.

More when we know more...

Falcons Easterling Committed Suicide

((HT: NFL Network))

Richmond, Virginia police captain Yvonne Crowder tells FoxSports.com's AJ Perez that the death of former Atlanta Falcon is being ruled a suicide.

The 62-year-old former defensive back was found by his wife, Mary Ann, in his bedroom Thursday with a handgun nearby. Easterling was one of the more than a thousand names as party in the lawsuit against the National Football League over head injuries sustained when the now-retired athletes performed in a different era when it came to care and treatment of concussions and other brain trauma.

“He had been feeling more and more pain,” Mary Ann Easterling told Perez. “He felt like his brain was falling off. He was losing control. He couldn’t remember things from five minutes ago. It was frightening, especially somebody who had all the plays memorized as a player when he stepped on the field.”

Easterling had been diagnosed with dementia in March of 2011, but had suffered with bouts of depression and insomnia- symptoms associated with repeated and undiagnosed/underdiagnosed head trauma.

It will be interesting to see if the Easterling family donates his body to the Boston University researchers digging into the effects of CTE. Such a diagnosis would echo the recent BU examinations of former NFL'ers Dave Duerson and Terry Long.

The HQ wouldn't be surprised if there were, at least, traces in their examinations...

But that just us and our dime store logic...

Here's what the Grits Blitz was all about...