Photo by dbking
Famed retired Washington football team running back Clinton Portis is reportedly joining more than 4,500 other retired football players to sue the NFL over head injuries they received while playing. The Washington Times received court records of the lawsuit and has the full story:
Portis is the lead plaintiff in an 83-player lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Former Pro Bowl quarterback Daunte Culpepper and 1,000-yard rusher Cadillac Williams are among the other plaintiffs.
The lawsuit claims Portis suffers from headaches, among other problems, and is “at heightened risk of developing further adverse neurological symptoms in the future.”
According to the Times, the 128-page lawsuit claims that the league “didn’t do enough to protect players from head injuries and concealed their long-term impact from players.” It’s a claim that the NFL has refuted time and again, both “in public and in court filings.”
Among the other plaintiffs are a smattering of other Washington football legends, including Hall of Fame receiver Art Monk, quarterback Mark Rypien, and original Hogs members Jeff Bostic, Joe Jacoby and Mark May. All suffered from many devastating head injuries during their football career.
Portis—who was one of Washington’s most treasured players during his time on the team—”estimated he sustained 10 or more concussions during his career” he said in an interview with CBSSports.com:
The truth is I had a lot of concussions,” Portis recently told CBSSports.com. “It was just the way things were at the time. I’d get hit hard and be woozy. I’d be dizzy. I’d take a play off and then go back in. Sometimes when I went back into the game, I still couldn’t see straight. This happened all the time. Sometimes once or twice a game.
The NFL made a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in July, but the Times reports that the Judge presiding over the case “ordered both sides to mediation,” and a progress report of that mediation is due out September 3.
Maybe this explains all of Portis’ kooky alter-egos he used to inhibit for press conferences back in the day. Remember Southeast Jerome?
