Add former Bears safety Shaun Gayle to the rolls of players suing the NFL, accusing the league of failing to properly diagnose head injuries.
Gayle said in the lawsuit, reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, that he now suffers from symptoms of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
“Following his retirement from the NFL, Shaun Gayle suffers from headaches, occasional short-term memory loss and other cognitive deficits associated with CTE,” the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court states.
The suit also list helmet-maker Riddell as a defendant, saying he wasn’t given adequate protection.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the suit had “no merit.”
“The NFL has long made player safety a priority and continues to do so,” McCarthy told the Sun-Times in an e-mail. “Any allegation that the NFL intentionally sought to mislead players has no merit. It stands in contrast to the league’s actions to better protect players and advance the science and medical understanding of the management and treatment of concussions.”
According to a database compiled by the Washington Times, more than 2,500 players have sued the league on similar claims.