IN BRIEF
"On concussions, I think is one of these pack
journalism issues, frankly... There is no increase in concussions,
the number is relatively small... The problem is a journalist
issue. "
- NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue in December 1994
On 22 April 2015, the matter of concussion in sport became much
more than a journalist's issue. A problem that had been
simmering for years had reached its peak, as final approval was
given to a class-action lawsuit settlement in the US District Court
for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The lawsuit joined
actions brought by over 5,000 former NFL players who had retired on
or before 7 July 2014. At the heart of the case was the NFL's
denials of the risks stemming from brain trauma whilst playing the
sport and the NFL's alleged failure to put adequate protocols
in place to protect its players. That alleged failure will now cost
the NFL somewhere in the vicinity of $1 billion in settlement
payments over the next 65
