by EDWARD PINTO Section Editor
NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino joined the list of former players suing the league over concussions and the effects it has had on retired players on Monday, June 2.
Just a few days later, Marino withdrew from the list after being automatically listed as a plaintiff. Marino stated that just in case he ever had problems down the road, he would have medical coverage at his service.
However, Marino is not the only one involved in the lawsuit; 14 other ex-players took part in filing their claims last week.
The two other Hall-of-Famers are Eric Dickerson and Tony Dorsett.
All of the 14 players will be asking for damages to the head linked to tackles, head butts, and playing football in general in a jury trial through a medical appointment.
Each player that filed the lawsuit also included a brief description of their head trauma after playing football, but the condition of the injuries was not included.
Earlier in the year in January, a $760 million settlement was issued between the NFL and 4,500 former players over concussions that was ultimately rejected by a U.S. judge who said it would not be possible to pay all the players. Over 20,000 former players would be eligible for the payments if it went through.
“In my opinion, the NFL should offer some type of life insurance to their players just in case they end up with of course head traumas and even long-term injuries. I fully support every former player’s decision to use the league,” said sophomore Grant Robinson.
Researchers say that repeated hits to the head like the linemen and linebackers do can cause a condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which can lead to aggression and dementia.
With this in mind, the NFL has already implemented new changes on the field, including penalties for too hard hits, and keeping players who show concussion-like symptoms off the field.
Former player Mark Duper says he suffers from spurts of anger at times, and depression and memory loss all due to the four concussions he had in his career. After the interview, he asked the Miami Herald to text him, as a reminder, that he just did an interview with them.
“I used to play football until high school came around because I was scared of the fact that I could get brain damage. All these stories I hear about players that are going crazy because of the sport they played is insane to think about. Hopefully the NFL starts protecting their players,” said sophomore Josh Lee.
NFL trainers usually ask the players after a hard hit if they are okay and need any assistance, but of course just like any player, they brush it off and continue to play. When asked how they did after, more likely than not, they will not remember.
What do you think about the concussions players are suffering? Should the NFL start to protect their players more?