On May 28, Dan Marino with 14 other former players filed a lawsuit against the NFL who allegedly misled the players about the long-term effects of concussions. The suit accuses the NFL’s “carelessness, negligence, intentional misconduct” related to the dangers of concussions. However, according to USA Today, Marino does not have “significant history of documented concussions” but suffered a neck injury. The suit does not provide any details on Marino’s current health. Eric Dickerson, Tony Dorsett, Bob Little, Randy White, and the estate of …
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NFL Hurting From New Suit by Former Players Over Painkillers
The NFL’s litigation woes continue. On May 20, 2014, the league was hit with a lawsuit brought by a group of retired former players claiming that the NFL illegally supplied them with narcotics and other painkillers to mask their injuries and keep them on the playing field, intentionally ignoring the risks these drugs had on the players’ long-term health. The filing insists that the actions by team doctors and trainers were illegal because team medical personnel never obtained prescriptions, failed to keep drug records, and …
Continue ReadingNFL Sacked Again in American Needle Case – May Head to Trial in Antitrust Dispute
In 2010, the Supreme Court declared that the National Football League’s practice of league-wide licensing deals was not immune from antitrust scrutiny under Section One of the Sherman Act. On remand, a recent order by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois denied the NFL’s motion to dismiss the case and set the stage for a trial.
The American Needle company, an entity that had acted as a vendor for the NFL for 20 years, initially sued the league, 30 of its …
Continue ReadingSnyder’s Last Stand
The Washington Redskins, the Cleveland Indians, the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Kansas City Chiefs play different sports in different cities, but collectively, they share many things. Each team is beloved in their respective city by fans, young and old. Each team has a rich history and tradition. And each team is the proud owner of a trademark that could be construed as disparaging toward Native Americans, playing on stereotypical notions or imagery to sell merchandise to the public at large. A lot has been said …
Continue ReadingThe Real Story behind the NFL Players’ Association “$100 Million Research Grant” to Harvard Medical School
The NFL Players’ Association (NFLPA) recently announced that it would provide a $100 million grant to Harvard Medical School to fund research aimed at improving the health and safety of NFL players. Now, an “Outside the Lines” report has revealed that the NFLPA never intended to pay the entire grant amount. Instead, the NFLPA’s public announcement – conveniently timed on the night before the Super Bowl for maximum press coverage – appears to have been a PR stunt aimed at pressuring the NFL into fronting …
Continue ReadingDolphins Owner Proposes New Deal to Fund Stadium Renovations
Miami Dolphins owner Steve Ross has come up with a new proposal to fund the $400 million renovations to Sun Life Stadium. Last year, Ross asked for government assistance to fund nearly all of the cost. However, now Ross says he is willing to privately finance the renovations if the team can stop paying property taxes on the stadium.
Ross has been pushing for government assistance since acquiring 95% ownership of the Dolphins in 2009. That push was heightened in 2012 when Miami was in …
Continue ReadingUpdated: The Wells Report Could Mean Big Changes in NFL Workplace Policies; Two Fins Coaches Fired
On February 14th, attorney Ted Wells of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP issued a 144-page report (commonly referred to as the Wells report) to the National Football League concerning the alleged harassment of Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Jonathan Martin. On October 28, 2013, Martin abruptly walked off the team after a lunch room joke, which he says was the final straw after enduring nearly a year of harassment from his teammates. Martin checked himself into a hospital for mental health help.
Amidst bullying …
Continue ReadingBengals Cheerleaders File Class Action Against Team Over Compensation
On February 11, 2014, Cincinnati Bengals cheerleader Alexa Brenneman filed a class-action lawsuit against the team, accusing the organization of failing to pay their cheerleaders minimum wage. Brenneman’s suit claims that she was paid only $855 for her work during the 2013 football season, yet worked over 300 hours – meaning that she was making roughly $2.85 per hour. The minimum wage in Ohio is $7.85 per hour.
The Oakland Raiders were recently hit with a similar suit; Raiders’ cheerleaders filed an action in January …
Continue ReadingFan Brings Class Action Suit Against NFL Over Super Bowl Ticket Price
NFL fans know they are going to have to shell out big bucks if they want to go to the Super Bowl. At the time this was written, tickets were priced at a minimum of $2,500 on ticket resale websites. Despite getting a “deal” and only paying $2,000 a piece for his tickets, Josh Finkelman filed a class action lawsuit against the NFL in a New Jersey federal court on January 6th, 2014.
Finkelman alleges the NFL violated New Jersey’s Consumer Fraud Act by limiting …
Continue ReadingVikings Hire Two Top “Players” to Investigate Ex-Punter’s Allegations
The Minnesota Vikings have retained former Minnesota Supreme Court chief justice Eric Magnuson and former Justice Department attorney Chris Madel to investigate ex-punter Chris Kluwe’s allegations that he was fired for supporting same-sex marriage.
On January 2, 2013, Kluwe published an article on Deadspin outlining the time leading up to his release from the team. He discussed speaking out in support same-sex marriage and the response of team employees. Kluwe said he is “pretty confident” he was fired after eight years as the Vikings’ punter …
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