On Monday, Finn v. NFL was filed in federal court in Newark. The lawsuit involves a dozen former pro players claiming a flawed policy on concussions, coupled with league misuse of the anti-inflammatory drug Toradol, caused them long-term brain injuries. The suit alleges that before games, the plaintiffs were given Toradol, to relieve pain, but that it also thinned blood, making for easier bruising and exacerbating impact injuries such as concussions. The suit also alleges that the NFL’s flawed policy traces back to 1994 when the commissioner formed the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee to study post-concussion syndrome. The players claim that over the years the committee downplayed the risks and ignored medical evidence that players sustaining concussions were more likely to suffer subsequent concussions, and permitted players to return to the playing field after a concussion.
This is not the first lawsuit filed by former pro football players, and it certainly will not be the last. The dangers of football are continuously highlighted in the news, media and most recently in the legal dramedy, “Harry’s Law.” On the November 30th episode, parents of a high school football student sued the school when their son died of a traumatic brain injury after playing. During oral argument on the school’s pre-answer motion to dismiss, the parents’ lawyer highlighted the known dangers of the sport, and the cumulative effects of many hits during games.
Obviously, the case in Harry’s Law is mere fiction, but the reality of Finn v. NFL, and the other similar lawsuits continuously bring the dangers to light.
www.nbc.com/harrys-law/episode-guide/season-2/400844/head-games/episode-209/433819/