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SPORTS Thursday 24 November 2022

Jury: NCAA not to blame in ex-USC football player’s death

By BRIAN MELLEY 9-3 to reach a verdict on
Associated Press questions asking whether Group E
LOS ANGELES (AP) — In a the NCAA did something 1 - 2 nov 23
verdict that could affect or failed to do something GER JAP
countless claims by ath- that increased risks to Gee 7 - 0 nov 23
letes who sue sports orga- and whether it failed to ESP CRC
nizations for head injuries, a take measures that would
Los Angeles jury on Tuesday have minimized risks to Gee
rejected a lawsuit seeking without altering the sport of Group F
$55 million by the widow football. The panel voted 0 - 0 nov 23
of a former USC football 11-1 and 10-2 answering MAR CRO
player who said the NCAA those questions in favor of 1 - 0 nov 23
failed to protect him from the NCAA. BEL CAN
repeated head trauma “We feel deep sympathy
that led to his death. for the Gee family right off
Matthew Gee, a line- the bat,” said NCAA at- Group G
backer on the 1990 Rose In this March 18, 2015, file photo, an NCAA logo is displayed at torney Will Stute. “But we
center court as work continues at The Consol Energy Center in
Bowl-winning squad, en- Pittsburgh, for the NCAA college basketball second and third feel like this verdict is a _ - _ nov 24
dured an estimated 6,000 round games. vindication of the position SUI CAM
hits as a college athlete, Associated Press we’ve taken in all these _ - _ nov 24
lawyers for his widow said. cases, which is the science BRA SER
They alleged those impacts in the first case of its kind. visible injuries suffered at and medicine in Matthew
caused permanent brain The verdict likely gives the USC and not something Gee’s circumstance did
damage, and led to co- NCAA more leverage in that occurred before or af- not support causation.” Group H
caine and alcohol abuse future cases, said Dan Lust, ter his college career was Stute had argued that _ - _ nov 24
that eventually killed him at a sports law attorney and always going to be chal- medical evidence is not URU KOR
age 49. professor at New York Law lenge, especially when he clear on what causes CTE, _ - _ nov 24
The NCAA, the governing School. “Any plaintiff’s at- had so many other health and what the impacts are POR GHA
body of U.S. college sports, torney is going to think problems. That was fur- from that disease.
said it had nothing to do twice before putting all ther complicated by the Attorneys for Gee said CTE,
with Gee’s death, which it the chips on the table and NCAA argument that they which is found in athletes
said was a sudden cardiac pushing them to the middle did the best they could for and military veterans who
arrest brought on by un- and saying, ‘We’re going safety with the information suffered repetitive brain in-
treated hypertension and to take our case to trial and they had at the time, and juries, was an indirect cause
acute cocaine toxicity. see what happens,’” Lust that players assumed the of death because head
Hundreds of wrongful said. Alana Gee choked risks of an inherently dan- trauma has been shown to
death and personal injury up as the verdict was read gerous sport. “Given the promote substance abuse.
lawsuits have been brought and had tears in her eyes unpopularity of the NCAA Alana Gee had testified
by college football players afterward. She told one of and a sympathetic plain- that the college sweet-
against the NCAA in the her lawyers that she didn’t tiff, and the jury still ruled hearts had 20 good years
past decade, but Gee’s understand how the jury against the plaintiff, that’s of marriage before her hus-
was the first one to reach came to the decision, but fairly telling,” Feldman said. band’s mental health be- CTE, which was first discov-
a jury. The suit alleged thanked the seven women “This was a calculated risk gan to deteriorate and he ered in the brain of a de-
that hits to the head led to and five men on the panel by the NCAA taking this to became angry, depressed ceased NFL player in
chronic traumatic enceph- personally as they left the trial knowing that this could and impulsive, and began 2005. Gee never reported
alopathy, a degenerative courtroom. She declined to possibly be a bellwether overeating and abusing having a concussion and
brain disease known by the comment afterward. case that could potentially drugs and alcohol. said in an application to
acronym CTE. Gabe Feldman, a sports provide a roadmap to hun- The NCAA said the case play with the Raiders after
Judge Terry Green told ju- law professor at Tulane Uni- dreds or thousands of other hinged on what it knew at graduating that he had
rors in Los Angeles Superior versity, said proving Gee plaintiffs.” the time Gee played, from never been knocked un-
Court they “made history” died specifically from in- The jury had to vote at least 1988-92, and not about conscious, Stute said. q

World Series champion Astros’ full share a record $516,347

NEW YORK (AP) — A full share topped the previous Yankees, $45,795 for Cleve-
postseason share for the mark of $438,902 for Hous- land, $44,878 for Atlanta,
World Series champion ton in 2017 and the pool $42,221 for Seattle, $36,148
Houston Astros totaled a topped last year’s prior for the Los Angeles Dodg-
record $516,347 from a high of $90.47 million. ers, $10,351 for St. Louis,
player pool of $107.5 mil- A full share for NL cham- $10,007 for Toronto, $9,480
lion, also a record in the first pion Philadelphia came to for the New York Mets,
season the playoffs were $296,255. $8,387 for Tampa Bay.
expanded to 12 teams. The Phillies divided $25.8 The pool includes 60% from
The Astros split $38.7 million million into 72 full shares, the first first two games of
into 59 full shares, 14.14 par- 15.03 partial shares and each Wild Card Series, the
tial shares and $940,000 in $20,000 in cash awards. first three games of each
cash awards, the commis- Full shares for other playoff Division Series and the
sioner’s office said Wednes- teams this year were: first four games of each The Houston Astros celebrate their 4-1 World Series win against
day. $152,709 for San Diego, League Championship Se- the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6 on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in

The amount of the winner’s $145,820 for the New York ries and the World Series.q Houston.
Associated Press