As discussed in previous posts, about 600 ex-NFL players and their wives are suing the league because they say the NFL did not do enough soon enough to prevent brain injuries. The ex-players and their wives claim that the NFL didn't do anything about brain injury prevention until recently even though they knew much earlier that repeated concussions could hurt a person's long-term health.

There has been more awareness in the last few years in the mainstream public that repeated concussions can lead to many problems down the line. This has led both youth sports leagues, schools and professional sports leagues to do more to prevent repeat head injuries. The NFL players say that they suffer from depression, memory loss and migraine headaches. Brain injuries can hurt a person's ability to work and to live day-to-day life, which means they may need to rely on disability payments.

The NFL players and their wives want to hold their former employer liable for their long-term health effects that began with repeated on-the-job injuries. A federal panel recently consolidated about twenty similar lawsuits by NFL players to create the massive lawsuit involving the 600 ex-players and their wives.

A judge in Philadelphia will soon decide whether to allow the consolidated lawsuit to proceed or whether to grant a motion from the NFL to dismiss the case. The NFL wants the player's injury claims to be considered in private arbitration as laid out in player contracts.

Source: The Miami Herald, "Player lawsuits against NFL to be consolidated," Adam H. Beasley, Jan. 31, 2012