Tag: Football

High School Football Player Receives Fatal Brain Injury During Game

Posted by Jeff Raizner on October 23, 2018

Although football has been one of America’s most popular sports for decades, participation is slowly decreasing. Football can be extremely dangerous. Recently, a teenager in Georgia received a fatal brain injury during a football game, highlighting the dangers players face on the field.

The Tragic Outcome of an Overlooked Hit

The high school linebacker was rushed to the hospital during a Friday night game in late September. The teen was six feet tall but only 150 pounds. Players on the opposite team had players up to 265 pounds. After a hit in the third quarter, the referee stopped the game, so the teen could come off the field after a play.

Initially, the teen was brought off the field for a leg injury; however, he quickly began to experience other symptoms as his left leg and arm went numb. He eventually became unresponsive and was rushed to the hospital. Doctors undertook two surgeries to relieve the boy’s brain swelling, but after several days, he succumbed to his injuries.

What is particularly tragic about this account is the teen’s family believes it was a hit during the second quarter that caused the teen’s brain injury. The teen played through the rest of the second quarter and into the third quarter before being evaluated, and he was only evaluated because of another perceived injury.

Football Head Injuries are Causing Long-term Damage

While fatal brain injuries during football games are uncommon, players are taking hits to the head that are causing long-term damage. Football players can develop debilitating neurological conditions later in life due to their time spent on the field in younger years. Every time a brain cell dies, it releases a protein that causes damage and eventually death to other brain cells. There is no way to stop this process, so it’s incredibly important for football players to decrease the number of hits to the head.

Sports Organizations Have A Responsibility to Protect Players

Unfortunately, organizations like the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) didn’t warn players the hits they take on the field could cause permanent damage. Until recent years, the NCAA did not have adequate concussion management protocols in place to protect students from serious injuries. The NCAA had a responsibility to keep players safe, but blatantly chose not to.

Former NCAA players may be able to hold the NCAA accountable for its negligence. Raizner Law is helping former NCAA football players file lawsuits against the NCAA to obtain compensation for their injuries. Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your legal options and how we can help.

High School Football Participation Is Decreasing After Mounting Concussion Research

Posted by Jeff Raizner on October 8, 2018

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.

New Test Could Diagnose Concussions With Saliva

Posted by Jeff Raizner on October 1, 2018

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.

Raizner Slania Files Concussion Lawsuit On Behalf Of Mississippi State Athlete

Posted by Jeff Raizner on September 28, 2016

Raizner Slania filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of a former Mississippi State University football player against the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for their reckless disregard of the health and safety of student athletes.

During the course of a college football season, athletes can receive more than 1,000 impacts greater than 10g’s (gravitational force); many hits to the head can exceed 20g’s, with some approaching as much as 100g’s. While this amount of force might be hard to conceptualize, it is the equivalent force experienced by a person hitting the windshield of their car in an accident at 25 mph.

The plaintiff played for Mississippi State from 1974 to 1978 as a cornerback. During his time on the field, this former athlete was subject to countless concussive or sub-concussive hits, but was simply told to “shake it off.” The plaintiff was denied the appropriate medical treatment to reduce the severity of potential brain injuries.

As a result of his time playing for Mississippi State, the plaintiff now suffers from severe memory loss, chronic headaches, and other debilitating medical issues. The NCAA and the SEC failed to implement appropriate health and safety protocols that would monitor, manage, and mitigate risks associated with concussions.

The SEC is regarded as one of the most victorious conferences under the NCAA and is extremely financially successful. In 2015 alone, the SEC distributed $455 million to its fourteen member schools, including Mississippi State. Despite the financial success of the NCAA, its universities, and its conferences, very little care is taken to protect the wellbeing of the student athletes responsible for this success.

Raizner Slania: NCAA Concussion Attorneys

If you or a loved one have experienced brain trauma as a result of a head injury while playing for an NCAA regulated team, please contact the attorneys at Raizner Slania today. The NCAA, its universities, and its conferences have a responsibility to provide the proper care after a student suffers a concussion during athletic play, not to be a silent party to their injuries. Our consultations are free and you won’t owe us anything unless we help you recover compensation for your injuries.