South Florida Injury Attorneys Blog
Over the past several years, numerous studies have been conducted on the link between playing high-impact sports such as football and hockey and the presence of a degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Up until recently, professional sports leagues have denied that there is a link between CTE and participation in sports. However, earlier this month that changed.
According to a recent news report, the NFL’s senior vice president for health and safety admitted in a congressional committee’s roundtable discussion that there seems to be a link between CTE and football. The NFL spokesperson credited the research of a Boston University professor and researcher that dissected the brains of 90 former professional football players, finding the presence of CTE in many of the subjects.
The NFL’s new position on CTE still remains somewhat of a mystery, but the spokesperson did qualify his statements, saying that there are also a number of other questions that need to be looked into.
What Is CTE?
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a degenerative brain disease that is caused by repeated traumatic head injuries. Symptoms of the disease include memory loss, early-onset dementia, and depression. There have been some accounts of unexplained suicides and other irrational behavior by those who have later been posthumously diagnosed with CTE.
The research of CTE is still relatively recent, and up until very recently it was believed that the disease could only be diagnosed posthumously. However, there have been some studies suggesting that it may be possible to diagnose a person with CTE while they are still alive.
Current CTE Lawsuits
Currently, several professional sports leagues are facing class-action lawsuits brought by large groups of players claiming that the league failed to warn the players of the risks of participation in the league and failed to take adequate precautions to prevent the repeated head injuries that can result in a CTE diagnosis. One of these lawsuits against the NFL consists of roughly 5,000 former players. There are other smaller lawsuits against leagues such as the NHL. There have even been claims against children’s and high-school leagues, alleging that participation in the league resulted in symptoms of CTE or other degenerative brain disease.
Are You Experiencing the Symptoms of CTE?
If you or a loved one participated in a high-impact sports league and are now suffering from the symptoms of CTE or another degenerative brain disease, your participation in the league may be the cause of your injuries. If so, you may be entitled to monetary compensation for your injuries. To learn more about CTE and how a sports league may be responsible for failing to prevent your injuries, call the Florida based personal injury law firm of Cecere Santana at 800-753-5529 to set up a free consultation with a dedicated personal injury attorney. Calling is free and will not result in any obligation on your part unless we are able to help you recover for your injuries.
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