Category: NCAA Concussion Claims

The National Collegiate Athletic Association has a history of denying any correlation or causation between sports, head injuries and dire health consequences including CTE, dementia and other brain disorders. Their sluggish, reluctant approach towards adopting safety and prevention regulations has exposed many college athletes in several sports to numerous potential health complications in the future. Raizner Slania aims to hold the NCAA responsible for the damage their lack of action is causing to the well-being of these young athletes.


dangers of concussions

High School Football Participation Is Decreasing After Mounting Concussion Research

Posted by Jeff Raizner on

For decades, football has been the most popular sport in America. Thousands of children across the country grew up playing football, many with a dream that one day they would play college football or even make it to the National Football League (NFL). However, football’s popularity is quickly decreasing in children, and this is due in part to mounting research about the dangers of concussions sustained during play.

Ten Years of Decline

Studies showing the dangerous long-term effects of concussions sustained while playing football have existed since the 1970s; however, it hasn’t been until the last ten years that high school football participation has decreased. According to the National Federation of High School Associations’ athletic participation survey, there has been a 6.5% decrease in 11-player football participation from its peak in 2009-2010 to the 2017-2018 school year.

A Dangerous Sport

Football is a contact sport and players frequently take hits to their bodies and their heads. For years, young kids were told to “shake it off” and keep playing, but research shows these concussive and sub-concussive hits are extremely damaging, particularly to young adults whose brains are still developing. When an individual suffers a concussion, brain cells die and release Tau proteins, or T-proteins. Over time, T-proteins actually cause more brain cells to die.

When a person suffers continual impacts to the head, T-proteins build up so much that they can cause degenerative neurological diseases such as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), among others. Since there is no way to stop T-proteins from harming additional brain cells, it is incredibly important to prevent them from building up in the first place.

NCAA Failures Put Students At Risk

Fewer high school football players means less future neurological conditions. Organizations like the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) didn’t warn student athletes that playing the game could have long-term consequences; and, now these former students are suffering from Dementia, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and ALS, among other debilitating neurological conditions. The NCAA had a duty to protect student athletes and they let students down.

Get Help With Your NCAA Lawsuit

If you played football for an NCAA regulated team, contact Raizner Law today. We can explain your legal options and help you hold the NCAA accountable.

NCAA Claim

New Test Could Diagnose Concussions With Saliva

Posted by Jeff Raizner on

Although football is one of America’s favorite sports, it is also one of the most dangerous. Football players suffer repeated impacts to the head during play that can have lifelong consequences. Even though concussions are incredibly dangerous, very little is being done to help protect players from them. To help combat the dangers of concussions, one company is working to create a test that could diagnose concussions with saliva.

Quadrant Biosciences is currently conducting studies wherein they look at saliva samples to help determine whether or not a person has suffered a concussion. The test works by administering a simple mouth swab and then looking for the presence of certain molecules. The company is using micro-RNA, a protein released when the brain sustains a concussion. Studies have been able to identify concussions based on micro-RNA within the first ten minutes after sustaining a head injury. With this new technology in hand, Quadrant is teaming up with the NFL Hall of Fame Players Foundation. Players are participating in the study to help further concussion research.

Why Concussion Treatment Is Important

The brain is particularly vulnerable during the time right after a concussion occurs. Additional impacts to the head during this time can greatly increase the severity of the existing damage and contribute to the development of degenerative diseases later in life. Spotting a concussion is really difficult – there is currently no accurate way to tell if one has occurred. While it is safe to say someone has sustained a concussion if they lost consciousness, many people suffer concussions without ever losing consciousness. And we frequently lose sight of the cumulative, terrible consequences of sub-concussive blows that can add up. A test conducted in real time would be a great step toward helping reduce the long-term effects of concussions by allowing players, coaches, and doctors to immediately diagnose and treat these serious injuries.

Concussion Tests Too Late For Many

While it is incredibly important for concussion research to continue to advance, for thousands of players it is too late. Thousands of collegiate and professional football players are facing conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Dementia, and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), among other serious conditions. Evidence of the dangerous consequences of concussions has existed for decades, but organizations like the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hid these dangers from players.

File An NCAA Claim Today

Former NCAA football players have a right to hold the organization responsible for putting profits before players. If you played collegiate football and suffer neurological symptoms, contact Raizner Law today. We can help explain your legal options and hold the NCAA accountable.

NCAA Lawsuit

Family Members of Ex-NCAA Football Players File Wrongful Death Lawsuits

Posted by Jeff Raizner on

Repeated impacts to the brain have extremely detrimental effects. For most people, concussive or sub-concussive events are few and far in between, but for athletes, and particularly football players, impacts to the head occur constantly. Studies illustrating the harmful effects of head impacts on the brain have existed for decades, but athletic organizations like the NCAA ignored them for years and players paid the price. Now, family member of four deceased football players are seeking to hold the NCAA accountable.

The widow of a former Grand Valley State University quarterback who played for the university from 2003 to 2006 filed the first lawsuit. Unfortunately, her late husband experienced bouts of paranoia, anxiety, and erratic behavior for years leading up to his death in 2013. In a fit of paranoia during a fishing trip, her husband went missing and was found deceased in the woods several days later. An autopsy determined he died of pneumonia caused by inhaling his vomit after he became disoriented. His brain was sent to Boston University’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy. Researchers determined he suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

The widow of a former San Diego State linebacker, the widow of a former UCLA and Long Beach State running back, and the mother of a former USC fullback also filed lawsuits. All of the deceased players referenced in these NCAA concussion lawsuits suffered from symptoms commonly associated with brain damage resulting from repeated impacts to the head during collegiate football play.

The NCAA Failed To Protect College Football Players

The NCAA has known for decades that severe head impacts can lead to long-term brain injury, including memory loss, dementia, depression, and CTE, among other conditions. The NCAA recklessly ignored these facts and failed to implement reasonable concussion management protocols to protect its athletes. Many former college football players are now suffering severe medical problems resulting from their time playing on the field, and they are now seeking to hold the NCAA responsible. Lawsuits have been filed all around the country, and the NCAA already settled one case after just three days in trial.

Raizner Law is working with law firms around the country to help victims and their families hold the NCAA accountable. We are proud to represent former NCAA football players and their families.

Get Help With Your NCAA Lawsuit

The experienced trial lawyers at Raizner Law are representing former collegiate football players and their families and helping them get justice. If you played football college, call us today to schedule a free, no obligation consultation with one of our attorneys. We can help you understand your legal options and pursue compensation on your behalf.

Concussion Injury Lawyer

Former University of Alabama Defensive End Describes Living With The Long-Term Effects of Concussions

Posted by Jeff Raizner on

It’s been a long time since Les Williams stepped foot on a football field, but the effects of his time playing for the University of Alabama are impossible to forget. Williams suffers from a variety of complications caused by repeated impacts to the head sustained during play, but he’s far from alone. Thousands of former collegiate football players are struggling with the long-term effects of concussions.

Daily Struggles

Williams played for the University of Alabama as a defensive end in the early 2000s. Since his time playing football, he has struggled to hold a job because of his symptoms. He suffers from constant headaches, memory loss, depression, and mood swings. Williams was never warned or prepared for the serious neurological conditions he and many other former football players are now experiencing.

Williams can remember several hits he believes caused significant brain damage. One was in 2002 when he slammed into a punter during a game against Southern Mississippi University. His head “rang” as he jogged over the bench, and he recalled thinking something wasn’t right. In another instance, he suffered a head-to-head collision during practice that caused him to lose vision in his left eye for about 30 seconds and caused the entire left side of his body to go numb.

Hundreds of former players, including Williams, want answers from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NCAA is charged with protecting student athletes and their wellbeing, but despite this responsibility, the NCAA did not discuss the long-term consequences of concussions with players or institute protocols that could have lessened the damage.

Permanent Damage

Unfortunately for Williams and others, concussive and sub-concussive hits to the head and brain do more damage than the initial impact. When brain cells die, they release a toxic protein that actually causes more brain cell death in surrounding cells. There is no way to stop the release of this protein or reverse its effects. This can cause many different degenerative neurological conditions, such as ALS, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s, among others.

Get Help From An Experienced Concussion Injury Lawyer

At Raizner Slania LLP, our experienced concussion injury lawyers are representing former NCAA football players in lawsuits to obtain compensation. Call us today for a free consultation to see how we can help.

NCAA Concussion Injury Attorney

English Soccer Considering Concussion Protocols Amongst Mounting Research

Posted by Jeff Raizner on

Many people are well aware of the concussive risks associated with playing football or boxing, but all contact sports put players at a risk of suffering concussive and sub-concussive hits. In light of mounting evidence, sports organizations are implementing concussion protocols that can help reduce the long-term effects of concussions, and it appears English soccer may be next.

During the UEFA Champions League final, a player from the opposing team elbowed Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius in the head. Despite the blow, there was no call for medical treatment on the field, and Mr. Karius continued to play for the rest of the game. In the days after the game, Liverpool sent Mr. Karius to Massachusetts General Hospital for testing and doctors diagnosed him with a concussion.

This is by no means a singular occurrence, and with the mounting body of research regarding the long-term effects of repeated concussions, the English Premier League is taking action. A proposal from the English Premier League physicians aims to reduce the number of untreated concussions for its players. The proposal suggests concussion protocols where a player suspected of sustaining a concussion would exit the game for 10 minutes for a medical examination by an independent physician. Soccer has strict rules for the number of substitutions that can take place during a game, but a substitution for a concussion evaluation would not count toward a team’s total number of substitutions.

The proposal will first have to be approved by the International Football Association Board, which serves “the world of football as the independent guardian of the Laws of the Game.” Even though the proposal could greatly improve the health of players, it faces some serious obstacles. Many sports organizations, like the National Football League (NFL) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, failed to implement concussion protocols for decades and only recently took steps to protect players from the consequences of head trauma. This is particularly devastating considering football players can experience dozens of hits to the head in just one game.

The NFL has taken action to compensate players for the neurological damage they sustained during play, but the NCAA has yet to act. Lawsuits against the NCAA are still in the early phases, but the first case that went to trial ended in a successful settlement.

NCAA Concussion Injury Attorney

If you played NCAA football, you may be able to file a claim and pursue compensation for brain trauma you experienced during play. Contact a NCAA concussion injury attorney at Raizner Slania LLP today to learn your legal options.

Tackle Ban

NFL Players Support Tackle Ban In Youth Football

Posted by Amy Hargis on

Evidence connecting repeated concussive and sub-concussive hits to the head and long-term neurological damage has existed for decades. Despite this, contact sports like football flourished. But now professional football players from the National Football League (NFL) are supporting legislation that would ban tackling in youth football to protect young children from repeated impacts to the head.

NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre is backing legislation in Illinois that bans tackle football for all children less than 12 years of age. Children who played football under this age would play flag football instead of tackle football. Mr. Favre knows better than nearly anyone how concussive impacts sustained during play can damage the brain. While playing professional football, Mr. Favre set a new record for most consecutive games played, totaling 297. Mr. Favre now suffers from the long-term effects of repeated head trauma.

The Illinois Bill Mr. Favre is supporting is called the Dave Deurson Act, and it is currently under consideration in the state’s legislature. Mr. Favre hopes other states will adopt similar legislation and that one day there will be a nationwide ban. A ban on tackle football for kids couldn’t come soon enough.

According to a study conducted by the VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University School of Medicine, of 211 football players posthumously diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), those who started tackle football at age 11 or younger began experiencing symptoms of CTE in their mid-twenties.

Mr. Favre isn’t the only NFL player who believes tackling should be banned for children. Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo also agrees tackle football is not appropriate for young children. When Mr. Romo holds football camps for kids, he doesn’t allow tackle football for the youngest participants.

Although change can’t come soon enough, it will be too late for thousands of players at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. The type of brain damage sustained while playing football can’t be reversed. For many football players, the only justice they will receive is through filing a lawsuit. Organizations like the NFL and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) had a responsibility to players to warn them of the health risks associated with repeated head impacts, but instead kept these risks quiet and continued to earn millions in profits from these players.

NCAA Concussion Injury Lawyers

The NCAA settled the first NCAA concussion lawsuit that went to trial after just three days in court. The NCAA cannot deny the thousands of players that deserve justice for the injuries that they now suffer from as a result of their college football play. If you or someone you love played NCAA football, contact the NCAA concussion injury lawyers at Raizner Slania LLP today. We can help you understand your legal options and pursue compensation on your behalf.