Concussion Class Action $200 million Lawsuit Against CFL Adds More Players

[jerrym]

The class-action $200 million lawsuit against the CFL over brain injuries suffered as a result of concussions suffered on the football field has added several players. Furthermore, it is extremely likely that many more will be added as time passes. Unlike the NFL, the CFL does not generate the revenue needed to pay even a substantial fraction of this amount if it were to lose the case in court. Could this kill the CFL?

At the same time I hope that players get compensation for these injuries, although no amount of money can compensate for a severely restricted or shortened life.



Families of two former Ottawa Rough Riders and another retired Canadian Football League player who is now a clinical psychologist have joined a class-action lawsuit against the CFL and others over concussions and brain trauma.Gary Schreider was a Rough Riders linebacker, running back and kicker from 1956-61 and 1963-64, sandwiched around 1962 stints with the B.C. Lions and Hamilton Tiger-Cats, while Dennis Duncan was an Ottawa running back in 1971 after three seasons with the Montreal Alouettes.
Mike Webster, a lineman for the Lions in 1966 and the Alouettes in 1967-70, has also joined the class action that previously included Korey Banks, Eric Allen, Alondra Johnson and the family of Rod Woodward.
The lawsuit seeks $200 million in damages for all former CFL players who have participated in practices and games since 1952. It claims the CFL, its teams, former commissioner Mark Cohon, brain-injury specialist Dr. Charles Tator and the Krembil Neuroscience Centre of Toronto knew or should have known about the long-term risk of brain injury resulting from concussive and sub-concussive blows.
Those claims have not been tested or proven in court.
Schreider died in January 2011 at the age of 76, several years after he was nudged into retirement as a master of Ontario Superior Court. His son, Gary Schreider Jr., said Friday the man who was the first CFL Players’ Association president had displayed increasingly severe symptoms of brain-related problems starting in his mid to late 50s.

“I don’t really have anything to hide,” former CFLer Mike Webster, who sat between Duncan and Woodward in the locker room with the 1969 Alouettes, said Friday.
Webster said he was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury a year ago after collapsing while at work at a military hospital on Vancouver Island. He still practises, but under supervision by the College of Psychologists of British Columbia.
“I don’t care if I get a penny out of (the lawsuit),” Webster added. “I would just like to do that for guys I played with and against. … Luckily at present I’m not as severe as many of my teammates. I’ve got Roddy Woodward in mind when I say that.”
Woodward, who spent most of his CFL career as a defensive back and punt returner for the Rough Riders, was recently admitted to hospital. Wishart said Friday the 71-year-old likely would never be discharged and would eventually be transferred to a long-term care facility.



http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/football/cfl/two-former-rough-riders-ex-alouette-join-concussion-lawsuit-against-cfl

[jerrym]

The following article outlines the careers of the players who signed up for the concussion lawsuit earlier.


Hall of Fame linebacker Alondra Johnson has become the fourth former player to publicly join a class-action lawsuit against the Canadian Football League claiming $200 million in damages for head injuries during their on-field careers.Johnson, 50, played for the B.C. Lions in 1989-1990 and the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2004, but is best known for 13 seasons in between with the Calgary Stampeders. A six-time division all-star, three-time all-Canadian and 1998 finalist for the CFL’s outstanding defensive player award, Johnson played in five Grey Cup games and helped the Stampeders win titles in 1992, 1998 and 2001.
Previously identified plaintiffs include retired defensive backs Rod Woodward and Korey Banks and running back Eric Allen.
Woodward, 71, played for four teams between 1967 and 1978, including the Ottawa Rough Riders’ Grey Cup championship squads in 1973 and ’76. He now lives in British Columbia.
Banks, a 36-year-old Georgia resident, was a CFLer for 11 seasons, including 2004-05 Ottawa Renegades.
Allen was a Toronto Argonaut between 1972 and 1975. He died in October in South Carolina at age 67.
Robyn Wishart, a B.C. lawyer who represents the class-action participants, said three other former CFLers had joined the legal action, but hadn’t yet granted permission to publicize their names.
The class-action claim wa


http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/football/cfl/cfl-hall-of-famer-alondra-johnson-joins-class-action-lawsuit-over-concussions

[jerrym]

As mentioned above Eric "The Flea" Allen, one of the first players involved in the concussion lawsuit, played for the Argos. He died in October 2015.


The Toronto Argonauts Football Club is saddened to learn of the passing of former RB/WR Eric “The Flea” Allen, who passed away on October 27, 2015 at the age of 66 in Georgetown, South Carolina.

Allen played four seasons (1972-75) as a wingback with Argonauts. As a rookie with the Argos, Allen arrived in Toronto to make an immediate impact transitioning from running back to receiver with the Boatmen in 1972. A native of Georgetown, he caught 53 passes for 1,067 yards as a rookie, an average of 20.1 yards per catch, and was named team’s Most Outstanding Player.

Nicknamed “The Flea” for his speed and elusiveness, Allen went onto record 2,401 yards and 24 touchdowns on 130 receptions while adding 323 rushing yards and 93 punt return yards over his four seasons with the Boatmen.

Prior to signing with the Argonauts in 1972, Allen spent four seasons at the Michigan State where he set the NCAA single-game records for rushing yards (350) and all-purpose yards (397), and was named the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player in 1971. Following his NCAA career with the Spartans, Allen was initially offered a contract by the then Baltimore Colts but turned down the offer to sign in Canada.


http://www.argonauts.ca/2015/10/30/argos-mourn-passing-of-eric-the-flea-allen/

[jerrym]

Here is more on what happened to Eric Allen (a player whose breakaway speed made the Argos more exciting for me to watch) since he left the Argos, which exemplifies the long-term dangers associated with concussions.


“The Flea”, with break-away speed and great ball sense went on to star for the Argos for four seasons gaining close to 3000 overall yards.Then, with his degree in hospitality from Michigan State, Allen made a fine life for himself in Canada after football.
But Allen, now 63, is no longer employed. He has returned to South Carolina to be cared for by his elderly mother and five-day a week visiting home care professionals and is being treated at the Medical University of South Carolina for Parkinson’s-like symptoms, believed by Allen and his doctors to be the result of multiple concussions suffered during his playing days in the CFL.


http://theconcussionblog.com/2014/06/19/sneer-and-loafing-in-the-cfl-a-sad-trip-to-apathy-amnesia-and-animus/

[jerrym]

Alondra Johnson, a CFL Hall of Famer, is another early plaintiff in the lawsuit. I remember him both in his early years with BC and then Calgary as always having a significant impact on the game. He finished second on the all-times tackles list, with those many head impacts almost certainly contributing to his brain injury. Sadly, he's only 50.


His CFL career began in 1989 when signed as a free agent with the BC Lions. That year he was the Lions’ nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player. He continued to play with the Lions through the 1990 season.In 1991 he signed with the Calgary Stampeders as a free agent. In his first season with the Stampeders, Johnson was named a Western Divison All – Star and led all CFL linebackers in turnovers with eight. By 1995 Johnson had past the career mark of 500 defensive tackles. He had led the team for the fifth year in a row in defensive tackles and was named All-Canadian for the first time in his career.
Johnson was named a Western All-Star for the fifth time in 1998. This season also marked his fourth Grey Cup appearance and second Grey Cup victory. He was named the Defensive Player of the Game after setting a new Grey Cup record of seven defensive tackles.
In 2002 he surpassed the career mark of 1,000 defensive tackles. At the time of his retirement in 2004 he was second of all-time in defensive tackles with 1,086.

http://www.cfhof.ca/hall-of-fame-members/players/alondra-johnson/




“He (Alondra Johnson) needs occupational therapy,” Wishart said Tuesday in a telephone interview. “There’s no money for him.”

http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/football/cfl/cfl-hall-of-famer-alondra-johnson-joins-class-action-lawsuit-over-concussions

[Argo57]

I just saw the movie Concussion on Friday, most former players should be very concerned about their long term well being.
Boy do these guys ever pay the price for a life in football.
I loved the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970's and was a big Mike Webster fan, check out the closing remarks of his Hall of Fame speech.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj1XnygvE5M

[KCargosfan]

The CFL doesn't have the money for this. If for whatever reason the players won this lawsuit, they would not get any money as the league would probably fold.

[argolio]

The CFL doesn't have the money for this. If for whatever reason the players won this lawsuit, they would not get any money as the league would probably fold.Or there could be some kind of settlement.

[KCargosfan]

Or there could be some kind of settlement.

True.

I understand the players' point of view, but it's not like they are suing a multi-billion dollar organization. What would you guess the CFL main office makes in net profit per year? $9 million?
My guess is there's just not money to go around.

[jerrym]

Here's a list of NFLers ( in the thousands but less than half of all of them) who have been diagnosed with CTE or listed as a plaintiff in the NFL concussion lawsuit. It includes former CFLers Cookie Gilchrist, Willie Wood, O J Brigance, and Byron Williams. I am sure there are many other CFLers as I was did not go through all the names. This unfortunately means the CFL lawsuit list is likely to grow exponentially over time.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NFL_players_with_chronic_traumatic_encepha lopathy

[Ron]

Of two minds on this. I feel for the guys who are suffering but when I watch the game I see players not tackling anymore and just launching themselves (head first) to "knock out" the guy with the ball. Lots of dirty play on the line including head shots and head slaps. So where is the accountability in all this for the players who do not play safely?

But as when I first saw this issue come up years back ... this is the issue that can destroy football completely if the payouts get big enough that the sport can no longer get insurance .... or at the very least people stop allowing their kids to play the game.

[Argo]

As I said in another recent post, if football is going to survive - and it will, at least in the USA, where it is a huge business - then contact must be curtailed.

My first impression of this lawsuit against the CFL is that a reasonably large settlement (i.e., a reasonable settlement) could hobble or even kill the league. A $ 200,000,000 deduction will of course kill the league.

Also, although of less immediate impact, it's becoming difficult to imagine high school and collegiate football continuing... unless contact is rigorously minimized through a new ruleset.

[jerrym]

Rod Woodward's wife hopes to use the concussion lawsuit to clear his reputation from a criminal record she believes is closely associated with football-related dementia. I wonder how many other pro or college football players who have had brushes with the law may be in part due to concussion-related problems affecting their judgement.



Rod Woodward won Grey Cup championships with the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1973 and ’76. A stalwart defensive back and part-time kick returner, he was an East Division all-star three times and a Canadian Football League (http://ottawacitizen.com/tag/Canadian-Football-League) all-star in 1975.
His career stats featured 39 interceptions, including two for touchdowns, nine fumble recoveries, six rushes for 33 yards and another touchdown, nine kickoff returns for 204 yards, 99 punt returns for 638 yards and two blocked kicks. He even threw three passes, although two fell incomplete and one was intercepted.
Now he has a criminal record and dementia.
Family members believed those negatives were linked to Woodward’s 11-year pro football career, so in September they joined a class-action lawsuit seeking $200 million in damages for head injuries on behalf of all retired CFL (http://ottawacitizen.com/category/sports/football/cfl) players who participated in practices and games since 1952.
“We’re not using this as an excuse, but it explains a lot of his behaviours, which we didn’t understand,” Kay Woodward says of her husband, now 71, in a telephone interview from Vancouver. “He’s a great person and had a great career, and outside of football he had a great career, and it has been tarnished.
“Hopefully people would understand because he’s very proud of his football and his career, and he always talked (about them). He’s very social and talked to people about his football and what he has done. So it’s for him to clear his name, maybe, and to create awareness of it as well because it is so prevalent.
“Also, we lost a lot of family because of the decisions he made, and I think this has had a bearing on it, this disease.”


http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/football/ex-rider-rod-woodwards-wife-says-concussion-lawsuit-chance-to-clear-his-name

[1argoholic]

This is the kind of thing that could kill the sport or turn it into flag football. The NFL keeps trying to take big hits out of the game. That's the reason we see so few kick returns anymore.

[ArgoRavi]

Rod Woodward's wife hopes to use the concussion lawsuit to clear his reputation from a criminal record she believes is closely associated with football-related dementia. I wonder how many other pro or college football players who have had brushes with the law may be in part due to concussion-related problems affecting their judgement.



http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/football/ex-rider-rod-woodwards-wife-says-concussion-lawsuit-chance-to-clear-his-name

I heard something this week about a doctor believing that O.J. Simpson may have CTE.

[Argo57]

This is the kind of thing that could kill the sport or turn it into flag football. The NFL keeps trying to take big hits out of the game. That's the reason we see so few kick returns anymore.

You do have to wonder what the future holds in regards to tackle football, this is only the beginning in regards to discovering how many players actually suffer and will suffer from the effects of CTE.
It could be one of those cases where the sport dies due to lack of supply as minor football enrolment has already started to decline and may very well continue to do so in the coming years.

[ArgoGabe22]

Korey Banks was one the first players in this lawsuit but I find it troubling that his son committed to playing for South Carolina last week. A bit strange someone who knows the risks is allowing his son to follow his path. Makes you think if he legitimately has a case or is just looking to join and cash in.

[jerrym]

Korey Banks was one the first players in this lawsuit but I find it troubling that his son committed to playing for South Carolina last week. A bit strange someone who knows the risks is allowing his son to follow his path. Makes you think if he legitimately has a case or is just looking to join and cash in.

I stumbled across Korey Banks (the son's) signing at South Carolina on the internet today and wondered if he was Korey's son, but the site did not indicate that. Since Korey retired so recently (2014), his son was probably well down the road towards a college career, it may have been difficult to dissuade him even if the father tried, but you have to wonder.

[KCargosfan]

Wasn't Banks the one who had like 9 interceptions against Durant?

I swear, it seemed like he picked off Durant every time they played.

[ArgoRavi]

Wasn't Banks the one who had like 9 interceptions against Durant?

I swear, it seemed like he picked off Durant every time they played.

Was that Banks or Ryan Phillips? It may even be both.