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Former Houston Texans punter Brett Hartmann sued the owners of Reliant Stadium for negligence over the career-threatening knee injury he sustained last December due to allegedly “unsafe turf.” The grass at Reliant Stadium is laid out in approximately 1,200 8′ x 8′ squares, which creates thousands of seams that threaten players’ safety, one of which resulted in Hartmann’s injury. Grass turf in most other stadiums consist of a single piece, posing little to no threat of unexpectedly snagging a player’s foot. Hartmann alleges that the |
Tag: NFL
UPDATE: Players Respond to NFL’s Motion to Dismiss Concussion Litigation
On October 31, 2012, lawyers representing thousands of former NFL players filed an opposition brief to the NFL’s current motion to dismiss pending in U.S. District Court in Pennsylvania, insisting that based on the gravity of the harm incurred, their lawsuit against the League must be allowed to move forward. The brief rejected the NFL’s contention that the action was essentially a labor dispute that needed to be resolved under the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
The Plaintiffs accused the NFL of “orchestrat[ing] a disinformation campaign,” …
Continue ReadingGoodell Passes Responsibility for Bountygate Hearings to Tagliabue; NFLPA Calls Foul
In an unprecedented move, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has agreed to recuse himself from overseeing a disciplinary appeal by four suspended New Orleans Saints’ players. The appeal is seeking to reverse the suspensions Goodell handed down to the four based on their alleged role in the Bountygate Scandal where various Saints’ personnel were accused of promoting a pay-for-play system that encouraged the injuring of opponents. Goodell has appointed his predecessor and former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to adjudicate the hearings in his place.
The original …
Continue ReadingDat’s My Slogan…‘Big Easy’ Coffee Shop Sued Over Trademarked Rallying Cry
On October 4th, 2012, Judge Barbier in the Eastern District of Louisiana denied Who Dat Yat Chat, LLC’s motion for summary judgment seeking to dismiss Who Dat Inc.’s lawsuit claiming trademark infringement for use of the slogan, “Who Dat”. “Who Dat,” the Saint’s rallying cry, was previously trademarked by Who Dat Inc., co-merchandiser with the National Football League, which produced an Aaron Neville song in 1983 using the slogan, according to lawyers for Who Dat Inc.
Who Dat Yat …
Continue ReadingGUEST EXPERT ANALYSIS: Why the Lockout Strategy did not work for the NFL and why the NHL is in a Different Position
Looking for a repeat of its successful bargaining strategy of locking out players, the National Football League locked out its 121 part-time referees in June following the expiration of the National Football League Referees Association contract on May 31, 2012. Three months later, the NFL decreased its demand for concessions and increased its wage proposal in order to end this work stoppage before the replacement referees made another bad call on the field that changed the outcome of another game. Most people credit the call …
Continue ReadingLeague Blows Whistle on Replacement Refs, Strikes Deal with Regular Officials
Thanks to the poor performance of their replacements, the NFL’s regular officiating crews have reached an agreement for a new deal in place with the League. While the deal will not be official until it is ratified by a vote of the officials’ union on Friday in Dallas, a regular crew will take the field for tonight’s game in Baltimore to the relief of players, coaches, and fans alike.
A series of blown calls, including the dramatic touchdown/interception fiasco at the end of Monday night’s …
Continue ReadingNFL Attempts to Keep Insurance Coverage Dispute in California
The National Football League recently filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Alterra America Insurance Co. in New York State Supreme Court, arguing that the excess insurer did not have the requisite standing to add additional insurers as parties to its New York action, since the NFL is already pursing an action against them inCalifornia.
The current dispute arose out of the massive insurance coverage obligations dispute between the NFL, NFL Properties LLC, and a host of primary and additional insurers, which began …
Continue ReadingAppeals Court Rules the NFL Doesn’t Have to Play Nice with Mean Gene Atkins on Disability Claims
On September 11, 2012, a three-judge panel from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that the Nation Football League would not be required to extend “extra retirement disability benefits” to “Mean” Gene Atkins. While Atkins could receive “inactive” player disability benefits, the ruling prevents him from eligibility for the more generous “football degenerative” disability benefits that the league affords retirees with football related injuries. The ruling comes despite Atkins’ insistence that his current ailments are a result of injuries suffered …
Continue ReadingBounty-Gate Players’ Suspensions Lifted by Arbitration Panel, For Now
The suspensions of four current and former New Orleans Saints players involved in an alleged pay-for-pain bounty program were lifted by a three-member arbitration panel, allowing the players to return to the game – for now. The arbitration decision allows the players to return to their teams, but it does not permanently void their suspensions.
An NFL investigation revealed that Saints coaches and players ran a bounty program from 2009 – 2011 in which players would receive cash payouts for hits that injured opponents. In …
Continue ReadingRelationship with Failed Financial Advisor Triggers NFLPA Investigation of Drew Rosenhaus
The NFLPA is looking into whether player agent Drew Rosenhaus should have more closely scrutinized his relationship with financial advisor Jeff Rubin. The investigation seeks to determine whether Rosenhaus breached his fiduciary duty to the players he represented – a duty owed to the players by all agents certified by the NFLPA – by not closely investigating the practices and credibility of Rubin before trusting him with the players’ monetary investments, many of which failed catastrophically.
Among other questionable acts, Rubin has drawn widespread scrutiny …
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