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A concussion-related lawsuit bringing together scores of cases hasbeen filed in federal court, accusing the NFL of hiding informationthat linked football-related head trauma to permanent braininjuries. Lawyers for former players say more than 80 pending lawsuits areconsolidated in the "master complaint" filed Thursday inPhiladelphia. Plaintiffs hope to hold the NFL responsible for the care of playerssuffering from dementia, Alzheimer's disease and other neurologicalconditions. Other former players remain asymptomatic, but worryabout the future and want medical monitoring. The suit accuses the NFL of "mythologizing" and glorifying violencethrough the media, including its NFL Films division. "The NFL, like the sport of boxing, was aware of the health risksassociated with repetitive blows producing sub-concussive andconcussive results and the fact that some members of the NFL playerpopulation were at significant risk of developing long-term braindamage and cognitive decline as a result," the complaint charges. "Despite its knowledge and controlling role in governing playerconduct on and off the field, the NFL turned a blind eye to therisk and failed to warn and/or impose safety regulations governingthis well-recognized health and safety problem." The league has denied similar accusations in the past. 'If he had a choice to do it all over again, he wouldn't [play]' "Our legal team will review today's filing that is intended toconsolidate plaintiffs' existing claims into one "master"complaint," the NFL said in a statement. "The NFL has long madeplayer safety a priority and continues to do so. Any allegationthat the NFL sought to mislead players has no merit. It stands incontrast to the league's many actions to better protect players andadvance the science and medical understanding of the management andtreatment of concussions." The NFL provides a series of medical benefits to former NFL playersto help them after football, including joint replacement,neurological evaluations and spine treatment programs, assistedliving partnerships, long-term care insurance, prescriptionbenefits, life insurance programs, and a Medicare supplementprogram. One of the programs, the 88 Plan, named after Hall of Fame tightend John Mackey, provides funding to treat dementia, Alzheimer'sdisease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Players do not need todemonstrate that the condition was caused by their participation inthe NFL. Overall, the NFL, in partnership with the NFLPA, has spent morethan a billion dollars on pensions, medical and disability benefitsfor retired players. Mary Ann Easterling will remain a plaintiff despite the Aprilsuicide of her husband, former Atlanta Falcons safety RayEasterling, who had been a named plaintiff in a suit filed lastyear. Easterling, 62, suffered from undiagnosed dementia for many yearsthat left him angry and volatile, his widow said. He acted out ofcharacter, behaving oddly at family parties and making riskybusiness decisions that eventually cost them their home. They weremarried 36 years and had one daughter. She believes the NFL has noidea what families go through. "I wish I could sit down with [NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell] andshare with him the pain. It's not just the spouses, it's the kids,too," Easterling, 59, told The Associated Press from her home inRichmond, Va. "Kids don't understand why Dad is angry all thetime." Ray Easterling played for the Falcons from 1972 to 1979, helping tolead the team's "Gritz Blitz" defense in 1977 that set the NFLrecord for fewest points allowed in a season. He never earned morethan $75,000 from the sport, his widow said. After his footballcareer, he started a financial services company, but had to abandonthe career in about 1990, plagued by insomnia and depression, shesaid. "I think the thing that was so discouraging was just the denial bythe NFL," Mary Ann Easterling said. "His sentiment toward the endwas that if he had a choice to do it all over again, he wouldn't[play]. .. He was realizing how fast he was going downhill." The list of notable former players connected to concussion lawsuitsis extensive and includes the family of Dave Duerson, who shothimself last year. Ex-quarterback Jim McMahon, Duerson's teammateon Super Bowl-winning 1985 Chicago Bears, has been a plaintiff. The cases are being consolidated for pretrial issues and discoverybefore Senior U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody in Philadelphia. The players accuse the NFL of negligence and intentional misconductin its response to the headaches, dizziness and dementia thatformer players have reported, even after forming the Mild TraumaticBrain Injury Committee to study the issue in 1994. "After voluntarily assuming a duty to investigate, study, andtruthfully report to the public and NFL players, including thePlaintiffs, the medical risks associated with MTBI in football, theNFL instead produced industry-funded, biased, and falsifiedresearch that falsely claimed that concussive and sub-concussivehead impacts in football do not present serious, life-alteringrisks," the complaint says. The problem of concussions in the NFL has moved steadily into thelitigation phase for about a year. According to an AP review of 81 lawsuits filed through May 25, theplaintiffs include 2,138 players who say the NFL did not do enoughto inform them about the dangers of head injuries. The total numberof plaintiffs in those cases is 3,356, which includes players,spouses and other relatives or representatives. Some of the plaintiffs are named in more than one complaint, butthe AP count does not include duplicated names in the total. "We want to see them take care of the players," Mary Ann Easterlingsaid. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Beverage Mixer , China Carbonated Soft Drink Filling Machine, and more. For more , please visit Carbonated Soft Drink Filling Machine today!
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