The family of Junior Seau, the star linebacker who shot and killed himself last year, sued the NFL, the helmet maker Riddell and others Wednesday, accusing them of hiding information about the link between head hits and long-term cognitive issues.
The family said the league not only "propagated the false myth that collisions of all kinds, including brutal and ferocious collisions, many of which lead to short-term and long-term neurological damage to players, are an acceptable, desired and natural consequence of the game" but that "the NFL failed to disseminate to then-current and former NFL players health information it possessed" about the risks associated with brain trauma.Seau's family filed its case in state court in San Diego, seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages.Seau was 43 when he shot himself in the chest at his California home in May. He played 20 years in the NFL with San Diego, Miami and New England before retiring in 2009. The National Institutes of Health said tissue samples from Seau's brain showed that he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head hits and brain trauma.Briefly Whizzer White Award: Dallas TE Jason Witten, Chicago DB Charles Tillman, Minnesota LB Chad Greenway, Cleveland TE Benjamin Watson and Pittsburgh QB Charlie Batch are the finalists for the Byron "Whizzer" White Award for players who go above and beyond to perform community service in their team cities and hometowns. Raiders: Tony Sparano was hired to coach Oakland's offensive line. Browns: Brandon Weeden might fit well in Cleveland's new vertical, downfield passing attack, but coach Rob Chudzinski said it's "premature" to label Weeden as next season's starting quarterback. Patriots: Quarterback Tom Brady was fined $10,000 for an "aggressive slide" into Ravens safety Ed Reed in the AFC championship game. Pro Bowl: The league wants to decide on the future of the Pro Bowl by April, when the next regular season schedule comes out, making Sunday's game in Hawaii something of an audition. Last year players were criticized by fans and the commissioner for not playing hard.
Super Bowl XLVII
49ers vs. Ravens
5:30 p.m. Feb. 3,
New Orleans
TV: KTVT/Ch. 11
Jerry Jones is certainly making Jason Garrett uncomfortable
Cowboys notes: Monte Kiffin leans toward Tampa Bay defense over 'sabotage'
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