Ex-NFL Player DeMeco Ryans Fights Arbitration in Lawsuit Versus Texans

Former Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker DeMeco Ryans has asked the Texas Supreme Court to let his lawsuit against the Texans continue, instead of going to arbitration.

As we reported earlier, Ryans sued the Houston Texans back in 2016, alleging that they were responsible for an Achilles tendon injury he suffered in 2014. Specifically, Ryans claimed that the field of NRG Stadium was maintained in a poor condition, as the playing field consists of square patches of actual grass interwoven with seams of artificial …

November 5, 2019 Class Actions / Doping / Litigation / NFL

NFL Tells Ninth Circuit to End Painkiller Class Action Lawsuit

The NFL argued to the Ninth Circuit that the lawsuit from former players should be dismissed, as it was individual teams, not the league, that supplied the players with amphetamines and painkillers.

In 2014, former Chicago Bears players Richard Dent and Jim McMahon sued the NFL, claiming that teams frequently use opioids, anesthetics, and anti-inflammatory drugs like Toradol. They alleged that such drug use often does not require prescriptions and that the teams do not take into account medical history, substance abuse treatment or potentially …

March 10, 2018 MLB

Four MLB Teams Called Out for Potential Misuse of Revenue-Sharing Funds

The Miami Marlins, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Tampa Bay Rays are under scrutiny as the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) filed a grievance against them on February 23, 2018. The grievance called into question whether their use of revenue-sharing funds has been consistent with the teams’ collective bargaining agreement.

The collective bargaining agreement names its “principle objective” as “promot[ing] the growth of the Game and the industry on an individual Club and on an aggregate basis.” In doing so, the agreement requires that …

February 14, 2018 Fraud / NFL

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Move to Dismiss Expert in Negligence and Fraud Claims

On February 7, 2018, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by former player, Lazarius Pep Levingston. Levingston sued the team and its Director of Football Operations, Mike Greenburg, for negligence and fraud, alleging that the team concealed the extent of Levingston’s injures in order to give Levingston a smaller settlement. In August 2013, Levingston suffered a neck injury in a pre-season football game. The team informed Levingston that he had a “cervical strain/sprain, thoracic sprain/contusion, and shoulder contusion.” He …

October 10, 2017 NFL

Will the NFL Terminate Players Who Kneel During the Anthem?

Experts have suggested NFL players who kneel during the anthem are unlikely to be terminated. And so far, no players have been. A few weeks ago, President Trump suggested players who do kneel during the anthem should be terminated. Reactions to President Trump’s comments were varied and some time later, many players have continued to kneel or lock arms with other teammates in a showing of solidarity.

The reason the NFL or its teams have taken no action could be purely legal. Players are employees …

September 15, 2015 Litigation / NBA

Those Pesky CBA’s: The Strife of Bismack Biyombo’s Former Agent

In June 2014, agent Igor Crespo sued his former client, NBA center Bismack Biyombo, for breach of their player-agent contract. The action, however, will now be limited pursuant to a recent order issued by Justice Saliann Scarpulla of the New York Supreme Court (New York’s trial court level) on September 4, 2015.

The initial complaint filed claims against Biyombo for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and tortious interference of contract. The damages are alleged at $2 million. In particular, Crespo claims that, under the …

September 9, 2015 NFL

A Deal is a Deal: the NFLPA’s Motion to Reopen Past Litigation is Denied

On Tuesday September 8, 2015, a federal district judge denied a motion filed on behalf of the NFL Players’ Association, which attempted to reopen the long-running “Reggie White” case. Ending in 1993 with a settlement agreement, the Reggie White case was a class action antitrust lawsuit against the NFL. The settlement ultimately led to the league’s current unrestricted free agent system.

However, the CBA agreement arising from the White settlement was not renewed, and it expired in 2011. This subsequently led to a lockout of …

August 27, 2015 NFL

NFLPA: Tom Brady Should’ve Been Fined, Not Suspended

In a letter to U.S. District Court Judge Richard M. Berman, NFL Players Association lawyer Jeffrey Kessler argued that Tom Brady should have been fined, not suspended, as required by the league’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Furthermore, Kessler claimed that even if the suspension was in compliance with the CBA, it is still inappropriate because Brady was not given a notice of his suspension in advance.

Kessler’s letter is a response to a filing by the NFL arguing that courts have the authority to …

September 2, 2012 Concussions / NFL

NFL Moves to Dismiss Concussion Litigation for Violation of CBA Terms

On August 30, 2012, the NFL and Riddell Inc. filed a motion to dismiss the multi-district concussion litigation against them, arguing that the suit is preempted by the collective bargaining agreements which exist between the league and the players. The concussion litigation accuses the league of deliberately and fraudulently concealing/ignoring the risk of multiple head concussion incurred during professional football, causing many former players to experience degenerative mental disorders and cognitive decline.

According to separate briefs filed by both parties, the Labor Management Relations Act …