Viewers of this year’s Super Bowl saw some great plays and big hits– there’s nothing quite like a defensive back lining up and laying out a wide receiver coming over the middle of the field to catch a pass. However, a growing body of research on concussions and their aftereffects is making it crystal clear that the football stars of today will be paying for their performance tomorrow, in the currency of memory loss, dementia and early death.

Now, hundreds of former players are lining up in lawsuits against the National Football League, claiming the league concealed evidence about the consequences of repeated concussions and didn’t do enough to keep the players safe. The big question facing NFL executives now is what did they know, and when did they know it?

• A number of lawsuits against the NFL to be consolidated in federal court in Philadelphia
• NFL players five times more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s than average person
• Employers are required to take adequate safety measures to protect their employees

Failure to Warn and Protect

At least 14 lawsuits have now been filed against the NFL for fraud and negligence, claiming the league deliberately kept information about head injuries from players and the public. Many of the suits have been consolidated in a federal court in Philadelphia.

“This action arises from the defendants’ failure to warn and protect NFL players such as plaintiffs against the long-term brain injury risks associated with football-related concussions,” the lawsuit states. “This action arises because the NFL defendants committed negligence by failing to exercise its duty to enact league-wide guidelines and mandatory rules regulating post-concussion medical treatment and return-to-play standards for players who suffer a concussion and/or multiple concussions.”

The league has denied the players’ claims so far. “The NFL has never misled players with respect to the risks associated with playing football,” the league said in a statement. “Any suggestion to the contrary has no merit.”

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