| Author |
shushu
Joined: 26 Feb 2019
Posts: 197
04 Mar 2019 04:26 |
|
| Message |
|
|
|
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. The lawsuit was filed in Jackson County Circuit Court on behalf of former players Leonard Griffin, Chris Martin, Joe Phillips, Alexander Louis Cooper and Kevin Porter, all of whom played on defence. It seeks more than $15,000 in actual and punitive damages. All five players have opted out of a multimillion-dollar settlement announced this summer that would compensate former players for their head injuries. The Kansas City plaintiffs claim to be suffering from post-concussion syndrome and latent brain disease because of multiple concussions they sustained while playing for the Chiefs. They all claim also to be suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which can only be definitively diagnosed by examining the brain after death. Martin, a Kansas City resident who played linebacker for the Chiefs from 1988 to 1993, said at a news conference he didnt know that continuing to play in games after sustaining a head injury would cause permanent damage. "I would have liked to have the opportunity to know that going back on the field would cause me to have severe disabilities later in life," he said. "I didnt know that. Thats what the lawsuit is about." Chiefs spokesman Ted Crews and NFL spokesman Greg Aiello both declined to comment on the suit. Hours after Martin talked about his brain injuries, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodells wife, Jane, and the wives of former NFL players Howie Long and Mike Golic led a discussion with hundreds of mothers about why they should let their children play football. As part of the safety clinic at the Chiefs training facility, roughly 200 women of all ages took part in drills designed to teach them proper tackling techniques. Nearly a dozen former Chiefs, including Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Bell, walked the giddy moms through the drills. Roger Goodell and Chiefs owner Clark Hunt also addressed the women, but did not bring up the lawsuit. They were not available to answer questions from the media. Plaintiffs attorney Ken McClain called the proposed $765 million settlement between the NFL and former players insignificant and said it provides compensation only to the former players with the most severe brain injuries. None of the five plaintiffs will get monetary compensation under that deal, he said. "All theyre going to be is monitored over time, but no relief will be offered to them," McClain said. "Its really a very small amount of money if you do the math. Its paid out over 20 years, its $765 million total. Its a little under $20 million a year the teams are contributing to these very severely injured people. Its not very much money." It wasnt known whether similar lawsuits might be filed in other states, given the nations patchwork workers compensation laws. McClain said Missouri presented a "unique opportunity" because a state workers comp statute was amended in 2005 to exclude cases of occupational injury that occur over an extended time. That exception more commonly applies in workplaces where smoking is allowed and workers suffer lung problems because of it. McClain also represented workers at a Jasper popcorn plant who were awarded millions of dollars in lawsuits claiming they got cancer because of a chemical in butter flavouring used at the plant. The lawsuit says the Chiefs ignored decades of research indicating that concussions cause long-term brain damage, instead referring to the injuries as "getting your bell rung" or a "ding." It accuses the team of lying to players in saying concussions are not serious injuries. "Every time I would get a head injury I would stay in or come to the side and get smelling salts and go back in," Martin said. "The pressure was there. If you were first team, you got all the reps." McClain said the notion that CTE can be diagnosed only through a post-mortem examination is outdated. "Thats an old position," he said. "Most of the neurologists weve been in discussion with believe most if not all professional football players do have CTE to some degree or another." Fellow plaintiffs attorney Dirk Vandever cited a recent UCLA study in which researchers said they were able to correlate some of the clinical problems they found and conclude they likely represent CTE. "After you see 19 out of 20 brains autopsied have CTE, as well as the ongoing widespread nature of the injury to players, doctors are fairly able to conclude players, based upon their symptomology, do or do not have the disease," Vandever said. In recent years, a string of former NFL players and other athletes who suffered concussions have been diagnosed after their deaths with CTE, including Junior Seau and Ray Easterling, who both committed suicide. In August, the NFL agreed to settle lawsuits filed by more than 4,500 former players who developed dementia or other concussion-related health problems they say were caused by playing football. The settlement, subject to approval by a federal judge in Philadelphia, would apply to all past NFL players and spouses of those who are deceased. Plaintiffs attorneys say individual payouts would be capped at $5 million for men with Alzheimers disease; $4 million for those diagnosed after their deaths with a brain condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy; and $3 million for players with dementia. About 19,000 retired players would be eligible to seek awards or medical testing, but current players are not part of the deal. The settlement does not include an admission from the NFL that it hid information from players about head injuries. At the time, the settlement announcement appeared to remove a major legal and financial threat hanging over the NFL. But if too many former players opt out, the deal could fall apart. Venta De Zapatillas Air Max . A criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court said his girlfriend told police they got into the argument early Thursday at his suburban Minneapolis home. Air Max Outlet Espańa . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. http://www.baratasairmaxoutlet.es/ . Ted Ligety, Mikaela Shiffrin, Bode Miller and Tim Jitloff underlined the squads enormous potential on the Rettenbach glacier in Austria. Comprar Zapatillas Air Max Baratas . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. Air Max Baratas Outlet . Watch the action live on TSN and listen on TSN 1050 Radio beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. The Raptors maintained their spot atop the Atlantic Friday after defeating the Wizards, 96-88, for their second win in a row.GENEVA - Beating the entry deadline by hours on Thursday, Sepp Blatter formally joined a FIFA presidential contest he is widely expected to win.Blatter published a low-key message on Twitter confirming an expected bid to extend his scandal-scarred, 17-year leadership of footballs wealthy governing body by four more years.Today is a key date in the electoral calendar. Ive made my submission, now the electoral committee follow a process, wrote Blatter, who is headed to the Asian Cup final in Sydney on Saturday.Blatter could travel with confidence, knowing Asia is home to some of his most loyal supporters. A majority of FIFAs 209 member federations seem content to overlook allegations of tainted elections and World Cup hosting bids while FIFA pays increasing bonuses from tournament profits with $1.5 billion in reserve.Still, Blatter could be seated for the Australia vs. South Korea final close to two FIFA vice-presidents plotting against him.Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan has declared his intention to stand, while UEFA President Michel Platini is central to Europe-led efforts opposing Blatter, including supporting the princes campaign.Europes anti-Blatter strategy intensified on Wednesday when Portugal great Luis Figo became a surprise contender, and UEFA executive committee Michael van Praag of the Netherlands set out manifesto highlights including the clearest incentive yet for voters.Van Praags plan for expanding the 32-team World Cup — FIFAs cash cow — to include more non-European teams hinted at what footballs richest continent must do to persuade other regions about Blatter and FIFAs damaged image.Launching his progressive views in Amsterdam, the Dutch federation president also became the first contender to identify his five nominating countries as demanded by FIFA election rules. Van Praag has support from Belgium, Faeroe Islands, Romania, Scotland and Sweden.Two more European contenders — both French, and operating outside UEFAs influence — have sought nominations by the 2300 GMT deadline.Jerome Champagne, a former FIFA international relations director and longtime Blatter ally, has published the most detailed manifesto, while former player David Ginola has been discredited by being paid 250,000 pounds ($380,000) to run by a betting firm sponsor. Although Ginola insisted in a statement that he was not out of the presidential race, his website was stripped of all campaign content on Thursday and no nominations were disclosed ahead of the deadline.ddddddddddddt could be two weeks before the official field of Blatter opponents is confirmed.FIFA has created an election oversight panel, led by its audit committee chairman Domenico Scala, which will validate nomination papers and receive vetting reports from FIFAs ethics committeeThose integrity checks could have been led by Michael Garcia, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who resigned in protest last month at the handling of his investigation into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid contests, won by Russia and Qatar.Garcia cited FIFAs lack of leadership in a resignation statement which left no doubt he viewed Blatter as a barrier to progress. This, despite the 78-year-old Swiss making anti-corruption reforms central to his fourth presidential term since a June 2011 re-election amid a bribery scandal implicating his Qatari opponent.No independent governance committee, investigator, or arbitration panel can change the culture of an organization, Garcia wrote.Blatters last re-election — and a famous campaign promise made to European soccer leaders — is key to understanding the current contest.At the UEFA Congress in Paris in March 2011, Blatter pledged his current four-year mandate would be his last. At the same meeting, Platini was re-elected unopposed as Europes top soccer official and seemed anointed to succeed Blatter, his soccer politics mentor, in four years times.Blatter slowly shifted his position, to Platinis evident frustration, until the France great announced last August he would not seek the FIFA presidency.Now, Blatter likely faces a group of Platinis associates, though it is unclear if all will stay on the ballot paper.There is no candidate of UEFA, as a matter of fact, its general secretary Gianni Infantino said on Monday. We are very positive for any credible candidate coming forward and making the debate.Candidates will seek support at FIFA confederation meetings scheduled in Asuncion, Paraguay; Vienna; Cairo; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and the Cayman Islands.On May 29, FIFA members will return to Zurich where 186 voted for Blatter four years ago. ' ' '
|
|
Search
