Tag: Football

Concussion Lawsuit Attorney

How Insurance Changes Could Alter The Sport Of Football

Posted by Jeff Raizner on

For years, organizations such as the National Football League (NFL) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) have been subject to lawsuits filed by players as a result of concussion injuries sustained during play. For decades, studies have linked the concussive and sub-concussive hits sustained while playing football to long-term injuries. The NCAA and NFL concussion lawsuits seek to hold the organizations responsible for not taking proper precautions and failing to warn players. The lawsuits are also affecting the insurance market; and, recent changes could dramatically impact the prevalence of the sport.

According to multiple sources, the NFL no longer has general liability insurance that covers head trauma. Additionally, there is only one insurance company willing to provide workers compensation coverage for the NFL. But the scarcity of insurance isn’t just hurting teams. Football helmet manufacturers are also struggling to find insurance companies that will issue policies without exclusions for brain injuries.

Jon Butler, the executive director of Pop Warner Little Scholars has said, “People say football will never go away, but if we can’t get insurance, it will.” Pop Warner is a non-profit organization that provides afterschool football programs to kids from five to sixteen years old. Dr. Julian Bailes, Pop Warner’s medical director and a member of the NFL’s Head, Neck, and Spine Committee, also warned, “insurance coverage is arguably the biggest threat to the sport.”

How Does Insurance Affect Football?

Like any endeavor that involves risk, organized sports need insurance. Injuries are highly likely, if not a large part of the game, so organizations need insurance to cover the cost of lawsuits that arise out of injuries sustained during play. With hundreds of lawsuits filed around the country against the NFL, the NCAA, and other sports organizations, offering insurance policies just isn’t worth the risk anymore. This means the organizations themselves would be on the hook for damages awarded in any lawsuits, but they are unable to cover those costs themselves. Without insurance policies available, some sports organizations have had to stop offering football.

Lawsuits against football teams and organizations are arising because these organizations were responsible for the health and wellbeing of their players. Football players were not warned that the hits they sustained during play could cause them to develop dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s, among other neurological conditions. For years, instead of implementing concussion protocols that could have protected players, these organizations told players to “shake it off,” an action that has now cost players dearly.

Concussion Lawsuit Attorney

The experienced trial lawyers at Raizner Law are representing former college football players in concussion lawsuits against the NCAA. If you or someone you love played for an NCAA regulated football team prior to 2010, you may be able to file a lawsuit to hold the NCAA accountable. Contact us today to learn your legal options.

dangers of concussions

Concussion Detecting Device Receives FDA Approval

Posted by Jeff Raizner on

For many years, football coaches told players to “walk it off” when they were experiencing concussion symptoms, to the extreme detriment of the players’ health. Decades of research have shown concussive and sub-concussive hits sustained while playing football can cause serious long-term injuries. In particular, it is extremely dangerous to keep playing football after sustaining a concussion. Luckily for players, a new device has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to diagnose concussions in real time.

Currently, in order to diagnose a concussion, players must undergo a medical examination and possibly diagnostic testing, but all of that could change soon. Bethesda BrainScope Co. Inc. received FDA approval for a portable medical device called the BrainScope One that uses EEG-based technology to assess brain injuries. Specifically, the FDA cleared the BrainScope One to perform a “multi-modal, multi-parameter assessment,” to determine the likelihood someone has suffered a “concussion” or “mild traumatic brain injury.” The device can also evaluate the severity of the injury and identify internal bleeding in the brain.

The BrainScope was developed with an investment from the Department of Defense, and is currently being used by the U.S. military, urgent care clinics, concussions clinics, emergency rooms, and other healthcare facilities. The BrainScope will be able to identify concussions faster and more cost effectively than previous methods. Sadly, this type of technology arrives far too late for many former football players.

NCAA Concussions

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is responsible for safeguarding the health and wellbeing of student athletes. The NCAA has known about the dangers of concussions and continuing to play while concussed for decades, but failed to institute protocols to mitigate long-term effects. Now, many former football players are suffering from memory loss, depression, mood swings, and neurological impairment, among other serious medical conditions. Many former football players are left so debilitated they can longer work or end up developing degenerative conditions like dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS.

Holding the NCAA Responsible

The NCAA chose profits instead of players’ safety in repeatedly refusing to implement concussion protocols. Players have a right to hold the organization accountable for its greed. Raizner Law is representing former collegiate football players in lawsuits against the NCAA. If you want to schedule a free consultation with one of our experienced attorneys, contact us today.

Football Concussions

New Study Will Take A Closer Look At Football Concussions

Posted by Jeff Raizner on

Studies linking the concussions sustained while playing football to long-term neurological conditions have existed for decades. However, despite huge strides in medicine over the past decades, doctors have been unable to figure out to put a stop to the degenerative effects of concussions. One new study might help find an answer. The U.S. Department of Defense is funding research that will follow 40,000 college students to take a closer look at football concussions.

How Will The Study Work?

Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine, the University of Michigan, and the Medicine College of the University of Wisconsin, along with Uniformed Series University of the Health Services will select and monitor college athletes for four years after they play their last collegiate game. Thomas McAllister, who is running the study, has stated, “there is still a lot we do not understand about how our brains respond to different types of impact over time… by comparing these groups across multiple years, we think we can parse out the effects of concussions, versus repetitive head impacts, versus normal life at university. This is critical for us to make informed decisions that protect our athletes, members of the military, and other members of our communities.”

The findings of this study could help propel the treatment of concussions forward to protect and prevent the tragic long-term consequences. Unfortunately, in the meantime, many former collegiate football players are suffering from conditions like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and ALS, among other conditions.

The NCAA Knew About The Dangers

The NCAA knew about the dangers associated with concussions, but instead of informing athletes or implementing treatment protocols that could lessen the damage, the NCAA chose to put its own financial interests first. Former collegiate football players don’t have to suffer in silence. Many former football players are seeking to hold the NCAA accountable by filing civil lawsuits.

Get Help Filing An NCAA Concussion Lawsuit

If you played collegiate football for an NCAA regulated team prior to 2010, you may be able to seek compensation. Raizner Law is representing former football players and fighting to hold the NCAA responsible for the damage it caused. If you want help filling an NCAA concussion lawsuit, contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your options.

Concussion Injury Lawyer

High School Football Player Receives Fatal Brain Injury During Game

Posted by Jeff Raizner on

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.

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.