NFL Acknowledges Link Between Football and Brain Disease

There has been a lot of recent publicity regarding the NFL, concussions, brain disease, and player safety. This longstanding attention reached a surprising point on Monday, March 14, 2016 when the NFL’s top health and safety officer acknowledged a link between football-related head trauma and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

This acknowledgment arose during a concussion discussion assembled by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce. During this discussion, Jeff Miller, the NFL’s senior vice president, was asked if there was …

March 9, 2016 Concussions / Litigation / NHL

NHL Wants Independent Medical Examination of Former Players

In a Minnesota federal court on Monday, February 29, 2016, the National Hockey League filed a motion to compel the medical examinations of some of the former players in the concussion MDL suit currently sitting against the league. The NHL argues that in cases of this nature, i.e., those where a plaintiff makes a claim about his current and future mental and physical health, it is routine procedure for said plaintiff to undergo an independent examination. The league’s memo in support argues there exists good …

February 11, 2016 Concussions / NCAA / NFL / NHL

An Insight into Understanding CTE and its Role in NFL Concussion Litigation

As another NFL season wrapped up over the weekend with the Denver Broncos defeating the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, fans might be wondering just how they are going to fill their football-less void for the next six months. Well, the NFL might actually be in the news more heavily this offseason compared to years past — although not necessarily for a good reason. Concussions, head trauma, CTE — these are words being tossed around on almost a daily basis from every news outlet …

December 10, 2015 Concussions / Litigation / NHL

After Finding of CTE, Father of Deceased Hockey Player Sues NHL

After threatening to sue the NHL for months, the father of deceased ex-NHL player Steve Montador finally filed suit in a federal court on December 8, 2015.

Montador, who suffered a career-ending concussion in 2012, was found dead in February 2015 at the age of 35. In May 2015, after studying Montador’s brain, doctors released their finding that the player had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) — a brain degenerative disease believed to be caused by multiple concussions sustained over the course of time. That same …

October 22, 2015 Concussions / Litigation

WWE Attorneys Ask Court for Sanctions, Grapple Over Proper Actions in CTE Lawsuit

On Friday, October 16th, 2015, World Wrestling Entertainment filed a motion in Connecticut federal court, seeking sanctions and other penalties against a set of attorneys from personal injury attorneys near Festus representing former WWF performer Matt Osborne. Osborne created and popularized the character of Doink the Clown, a staple of early to mid-1990s professional wrestling, until he was fired by management in 1993 for drug-related issues. Following Osborne’s death by overdose in 2013, his family hired a team of attorneys to represent them on behalf …

July 7, 2015 Litigation

CTE Litigaton Continues: WWE Sued On Behalf Of Late Wrestler

A lawsuit was filed on Friday, June 26, on behalf of Matthew Osborne, better known by his WWE alter ego Doink the Clown. Osborne passed away on June 28, 2013 after accidentally overdosing on morphine and hydrocodone. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Dallas, Texas, alleging that Osborne sustained traumatic head injuries while in the WWE that resulted in depression and drug use, and ultimately lead to his death.

More specifically, the lawsuit alleges the following:

WWE took inadequate steps to correct …

July 1, 2015 Litigation

WWE Grapples With Another Potential CTE Lawsuit, Takes The Offensive

In the face of more potential CTE lawsuits, World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. decided to take action. On Monday, June 30, the organization initiated a federal suit in Connecticut in an attempt to obtain a declaration that certain potential CTE lawsuits should be time-barred by statutes of limitations.

WWE seeks the declarations for cases that may likely be brought against it by Dynamite Kid, Black Jack Mulligan, and other former WWE wrestlers. This comes after the organization received warning letters about said potential claims from …

May 20, 2015 NHL

Deceased NHL Player Suffered From CTE; Family to Sue NHL

On Tuesday, May 12, the Canadian Sports Concussion Project released a report confirming that deceased NHL player, Steve Montador, suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), prompting his family to continue with a lawsuit directed at the National Hockey League.

Steve Montador died in February at the age of 35 and had agreed to submit his brain for testing before his early death. Like many other professional athletes who’ve died young and been diagnosed post-mortem with CTE, Montador suffered from depression, erratic behavior, and memory loss …

March 2, 2015 Concussions / NFL

Former NFL Players Object to CTE Benefits Cutoff Date for Incentivizing Suicide

On Friday, February 27, ten former NFL players objected to the revised settlement proposed in the long-running NFL concussion injury litigation.

The objectors, dissatisfied with the recent amendments made February 13, mainly take issue with the “arbitrary cutoff date” for players’ families to receive benefits when a player dies with CTE. Originally the plan was to pay $4 million in benefits to the families of players who died with CTE prior to July 7, 2104. Under the most recent proposal, the cutoff date for …

February 3, 2015 NFL

Years Later, Testing Reveals Mosi Tatupu Had CTE

More than four years after his 2010 death, the family of Mosi Tatupu learned that the former New England Patriots running back suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a degenerative brain disease linked to repetitive head injuries such as those sustained by football players.

Tatupu was a fan favorite among Patriots fans during his thirteen season career with the team. It’s no surprise either; he was loved by teammates, was always smiling and developed his own fan section – “Mosi’s Mooses.” Yet, his …