U.S. District Court Judge Susan Richard Nelson has denied the class-action status sought by a potential class of several thousand current and former players suing the National Hockey League (NHL) alleging that the league was negligent in its care and prevention of head trauma and that it fraudulently concealed the long-term impact of head injuries
Concussion Issues
Former NHL Player Receives Probation For Drug Offense
By Gregg E. Clifton & Paul V. Kelly on
Former NHL player Kevin Stevens avoided a federal prison sentence following a hearing this week in U.S. District Court in Boston. Stevens, who played in the NHL for 16 years (1987-2002), including parts of 11 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, also starred at Boston College and for the 1988 U.S. Olympic team. In the early …
Brain Trauma Concerns Have Ivy League Football Coaches Eliminating In-Season Practice Contact. A New Trend?
By Gregg E. Clifton on
Reacting to growing concerns about brain trauma, the eight Ivy League football coaches have added to the Ivy League’s restrictive rules limiting contact during spring and preseason practice by unanimously voting to eliminate all full contact drills from regular season practices. The formal adoption of the decision is anticipated during an upcoming vote of the …
U.S. SOCCER FEDERATION SETTLES YOUTH CONCUSSION LAWSUIT
By Jackson Lewis P.C. on
The United States Soccer Federation released new guidelines banning the practice of heading a soccer ball by children under the age of 10. The new guidelines also prohibit children between the ages of 11 and 13 from heading soccer balls in practice, but permit it in games.
The guidelines are part of a resolution reached…
NCAA’s New Concussion Guidelines Concentrate on Athlete Contact Practices, Health Monitoring
By Jackson Lewis P.C. on
In an effort to reduce head injuries in college football, the NCAA has released new concussion safety guidelines calling for limits on the number of contact practices and new measures for monitoring player health. The NCAA’s guidelines come after the adoption of PAC-12 and Ivy League legislation in 2013 establishing restrictions on the number…
FEDERAL JUDGE APPROVES PRELIMINARY SETTLEMENT OF CLASS ACTION FILED BY NFL RETIREES
By Richard W. Schey on
Judge Anita Brody of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has approved a preliminary settlement of a class action filed by former National Football League players claiming the League failed to take reasonable actions to protect players from the risks created by head injuries and attempted to conceal those risks…
Concussion Injuries Controversy Not Restricted to Professional Athletics
By Gregg E. Clifton & Jackson Lewis P.C. on
Posted in Amateur Sports, Concussion Issues
The recent high-profile lawsuits by former players of the National Football League (NFL) and National Hockey League (NHL) have brought to the forefront the issue of long-term, concussion-related injuries in athletes, which is not limited to the world of high-contact professional sports.
A report by the Institute of Medicine (“IOM”) and the National Research Council…
NHL To Defend Players’ Suit for Head Injuries
By Paul V. Kelly & Jackson Lewis P.C. on
Posted in Concussion Issues, NHL
Ten former players have filed a class action lawsuit against the National Hockey League over injuries caused by concussions sustained during their professional careers.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington D.C., comes six months after another civil action in May accused the NHL of failing to warn former player/enforcer Derek Boogard about the…
College Football Players Engage In Protest Seeking NCAA Reforms
By Gregg E. Clifton on
In an unprecedented protest against NCAA protocols, football players from Georgia Tech, Georgia and Northwestern took to the gridiron with personally marked-up equipment to challenge the NCAA’s treatment of athletes on issues ranging from concussions to guaranteed scholarships.
Georgia Tech quarterback Vad Lee wrote “APU”, an acronym for All Players United, a signature of the…
Jackson Lewis Sports Practice Attorney To Participate In Duke Law Symposium
By Gregg E. Clifton on
Jackson Lewis attorney Jennifer Harper will participate in Duke Universty Law School’s Sports Law Symposium on January 25, 2012. Harper will be participating in the panel on “Handling Scandal”.
The Duke Sports & Entertainment Law Society (SELS) presents its 3rd Annual Sports & Entertainment Law Symposium:
The Changing Economics of the Sports and Entertainment Industries…