A just was seated in a case in a western state against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It was filed by the widow of a former collegiate linebacker who died from permanent brain damage from repeated concussions he suffered playing for the University of Southern California.
The man was a former teammate of the late Junior Seau, who died of suicide allegedly due to the effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that was brought on from repeated head injuries as a college and professional athlete.
This case could set the tone for the future
This lawsuit could potentially be cited as a landmark case.
Hundreds of personal injury and wrongful death claims were filed against the Association and also the National Football League (NFL) over similar CTE claims. The NFL-funded settlements as high as $4 million for survivors of 20,000 former football players in the league. Those cases at the higher end of the settlement spectrum were for those whose deaths were attributed to the degenerative brain disease that kills so many sports and military veterans.
The NCAA already paid out $70 million in 2016 to settle a class-action lawsuit, plus other millions for research and player payments as a settlement in litigation related to athlete concussions.
Watch how this case plays out
To have some idea of the future of football injury litigation, what happens in this case could be pivotal for future plaintiffs against behemoth defendants. Anyone who suffered repetitive head trauma, even brief concussions, is at risk of developing far more serious CTE one day.
