Yet another lawsuit has been filed by former players against the NFL over concussions, but this time the players’ former teams are listed as defendants as well.
Former players Jimmie Giles, Arron Sears, Donald Smith and Calvin Woods have filed a lawsuit naming the NFL, NFL properties, the helmet maker Riddell and their teams -- the Buccaneers, Lions, Bills, Dolphins, Eagles and Titans -- as defendants, according to NFLConcussionLitigation.com.
Previous lawsuits have been against the league but not the teams because suing the teams -- which are the players’ direct employers -- allows the defendants to argue that the plaintiffs’ claims should be dealt with via workers’ compensation. The players are arguing that there’s an exception because they say the teams intentionally misled them about the dangers of concussions.
Giles was a four-time Pro Bowl tight end for the Buccaneers and also played for the Lions, Eagles and Houston Oilers (now the Titans). Sears was a second-round pick of the Buccaneers in 2007 and started 31 games his first two seasons before his career abruptly ended because of what he says was a neurological condition resulting from a concussion.