Former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino is among 15 former players to have filed a federal lawsuit against the NFL claiming the league concealed the risk of concussions, among other allegations.
The suit, filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and first reported on by the Los Angeles Times, alleges the NFL “actively, aggressively and deliberately conspired with its team members and/or independent contractors who were directed to continuously discount and reject the causal connection between multiple concussions suffered while playing in the NFL, a non-scientific return-to-play policy for players suffering concussions and the chronic long-term effects of those head injuries.”
The lawsuit also asserts that "(certain) named Plaintiffs have suffered in the past from an assortment of problems associated with the harm and injuries described herein, including, but not limited to, headaches, dizziness, loss of memory, dementia, depression, impulse control, impulsivity to anger, cognitive dysfunction, employment impairment, physical activity limitations, embarrassment, loss of the pleasures of life, etc.”
Marino is described thusly in the suit: “Plaintiff, Dan Marino, is an individual residing in Fort Lauderdale, (Florida). Mr. Marino played in the NFL from 1983-1999.” There is no reference to any medical conditions particularly experienced by Marino or any other named plaintiff in the suit.
After retiring from the NFL, Marino — a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer – spent more than a decade as an analyst with CBS. However, the network parted ways with him in February.
The other former players filing suit with Marino are Erik Affholter, Richard Bishop, Bruce Clark, Chris Dugan, Anthony Grant, Mark Green, John Huddleston, Ethan Johnson, LaCurtis Jones, Peter Manning, Moses Moreno, Toddrick McIntosh, Jackie Wallace and Dwight Wheeler.