Page 16 - aruba-today-20221021

A16 sports
Friday 21 OctOber 2022
Concussion lawsuit against NCAA could be first to reach jury

brain impacts have been
known for about a century,
first from studies of "punch
drunk" boxers and later
from findings in football
and other contact sports.
"The NCAA knew of the
harmful effects ... on ath-
letes for decades, they
ignored these facts and
failed to institute any mean-
ingful methods of warn-
ing and/or protecting the
athletes," the lawsuit said.
"For the NCAA, the con-
tinued expansion and op-
eration of college football
was simply too profitable
to put at risk."After gradu-
ating in 1992, Gee was cut
by the Los Angeles Raid-
ers in training camp. He
married Alana, his college
sweetheart, and they had
three children as he ran his
own insurance company in
Southern California. For 20
years, he lived a "relatively
normal" life, the suit said.
A Southern California helmet sits in the end zone prior to an NCAA college football game against UCLA, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014,
in Pasadena, Calif. But that began to change
Associated Press around 2013 when he be-
gan to lose control of his
By BRIAN MELLEY pression and, sometimes, million to monitor the medi- sions at USC. emotions, the lawsuit said.
Associated Press early onset Parkinson's or cal conditions of former Two ex-teammates, how- He became angry, con-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Alzheimer's disease. college athletes, another ever, testified at deposi- fused and depressed. He
lawsuit alleging the NCAA "For years (the NCAA) has $5 million toward medical tions about blows they rou- drank heavily. He told a
failed to protect a former kept players like Matthew research and payments up tinely took in an era when doctor days would go by
University of Southern Cali- Gee and the public in the to $5,000 toward individual they were told to hit with without him being able to
fornia football player from dark about an epidem- players claiming injuries. their heads. recall what happened.
repeated concussions is ic that was slowly killing The NFL has been hit with Mike Salmon, who played When he died on New
nearing trial in a Los Ange- college athletes," Alana similar suits and eventu- defense at USC and went Year's Eve 2018, the pre-
les court, with a jury seated Gee's lawsuit said. "Long ally agreed to a settlement on to the NFL's San Fran- liminary cause of death
Thursday in what could be- after they played their last covering 20,000 retired cisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills, was listed as the combined
come a landmark case. game, they are left with a players providing up to $4 said he distinctly recalled toxic effects of alcohol and
The suit filed by Matthew series of neurological con- million for a death involving Gee and other lineback- cocaine with other signifi-
Gee's widow says the for- ditions that could slowly chronic traumatic enceph- ers being "out of it" during cant conditions of cardio-
mer USC linebacker died in strangle their brains." alopathy, also known as hard-hitting practices. vascular disease, cirrhosis
2018 from permanent brain The NCAA, the governing CTE, a degenerative brain "Matt hit like a truck," Salm- and obesity.
damage caused by count- body of college athletics, disease found in athletes on said. "I saw him quite Joseph Low, a Los Angeles
less blows to the head he said it wasn't responsible for and military veterans who a bit coming back to the lawyer for clients with trau-
took while playing for the Gee's tragic death, which it suffered repetitive brain in- huddle. You could tell ... he matic brain injury who is not
1990 Rose Bowl winning blamed on heavy drinking, juries. wasn't all there." involved in the case, said
team, whose roster also in- drugs and other ailments. Lawyers said they expect- "It was our job to make drug and alcohol abuse
cluded future NFL star Ju- "Mr. Gee used alcohol and ed NFL payouts to top $1.4 helmet-to-helmet contact can become a symptom
nior Seau. drugs to cope with a trau- billion over 65 years for in the '80s," Gene Fruge, a of brain injuries as those suf-
Of the hundreds of wrongful matic childhood, to fill in six qualifying conditions, former nose-tackle testi- fering try to self-medicate,
death and personal injury the loss of identity he felt including Alzheimer's dis- fied. "There was no ques- particularly as they deterio-
lawsuits brought by college after his football playing ease, Parkinson's disease tion about it. That was your rate.
football players against the days ended, and to numb and dementia. job, to explode the man in Blaming Gee's death on
NCAA in the past decade, the chronic and increasing Gee, 49, was one of five front of you." substance abuse will not
Gee's is only the second pain caused by numerous linebackers on the 1989 The NCAA, which required shield the NCAA from evi-
to head toward trial and health issues," NCAA law- Trojans squad who died schools in 2010 to have a dence showing he had
could be the first to reach yers wrote in a court filing. before turning 50. As with concussion protocol, said CTE, which is not caused
a jury. A 2018 trial in Texas led to a Seau, who killed himself in it gave them "state-of- by drugs and alcohol, Low
The issue of concussions in swift settlement after sever- 2012, Gee's brain was ex- the-art" information about said.
sports, and football in par- al days of testimony by wit- amined posthumously and head injury risks known at "The whole discussion about
ticular, has been front and nesses for the plaintiff, the found to have CTE. the time Gee played. It drugs and alcohol isn't go-
center in recent years as widow of Greg Ploetz, who The defense has sought said long-term effects of ing to get it done for them.
research has discovered played defense for Texas in to exclude any testimony head injuries weren't well That's a distraction," Low
more about long-term ef- the late 1960s. about Gee's teammates, understood then. said. "It's really a disgusting
fects of repeated head In 2016, the NCAA agreed and the NCAA said there Gee's lawsuit said the de- way to do character assas-
trauma in problems rang- to settle a class-action con- was no medical evidence bilitating effects of concus- sination. It's what you call
ing from headaches to de- cussion lawsuit, paying $70 Gee suffered from concus- sions and other traumatic defense strategy 101."q