It only takes watching one game of football to realize it’s a brutal sport. Some tackles are enough to make the audience cringe, let alone the guys who have to go out and take the hits every day. Even with helmets and full pads, there are still serious risks involved with getting slammed around for a living. National Football League (NFL) players are starting to get serious about their health—and now they’re organized.
More than 2,000 players accusing the NFL of failing to tell them about the neurological risks of playing football have unified their more than 80 lawsuits into one complaint, filed in federal court in Philadelphia. One of the plaintiffs in the suit, Mary Ann Easterling, is the widow of former Atlanta Falcons player Ray Easterling, who committed suicide after suffering from dementia.
"The NFL has long made player safety a priority and continues to do so,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told CNN. “Any allegation that the NFL sought to mislead players has no merit.”
Read more InsideCounsel coverage of NFL concussion lawsuits:
NCAA denies claims in concussion lawsuits from former football players
Federal panel ponders merging NFL player concussion lawsuits
