Voices
cal evidence underscoring the
risk of permanent brain damage from repeated blows to the
head. For over 40 years, many
prestigious and well-recognized
medical groups have steadfastly
maintained that concussions are
brain injuries.
The NFL, however, sought to
hide behind the veil of inaccurate
statements made by its own Mild
Traumatic Brain Injury Safety
Committee, which was formed in
1994. Chaired by an unqualified
leader, it promulgated reports deliberately designed to mislead the
players and the public. Twenty-five
years later, during Congressional hearings, the Committee and
league representatives continued
to deny the connection between
football and brain trauma. The
conspiracy between the league
and its physicians is tantamount
to a pattern of civil racketeering,
intended to deprive injured players disability benefits, medical
care, and rehabilitation treatment.
Thus, Goodell’s pronouncement
that if the litigation were to proceed it would reveal nothing contradictory to the NFL’s position is
directly inconsistent with its prior
and long-standing position that
there is no connection between
MICHAEL V. KAPLEN
AND SHANA DE 4$