The suit, in part, alleges the NFL committed “acts or omissions” about head trauma and concussions which led ultimately to Seau’s untimely demise.

The family recently revealed that Seau’s brain showed signs of CTE, or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.

CTE has previously been able to be seen only upon the conclusion of an autopsy, obviously not helping anyone during their own lifetime. However, this blogger has learned that recently it has become possible to find CTE in living people.

A PET scan, or Positron Emission Tomography scan, uses radioactive material in an annihilation reaction to create two high-energy gamma rays which can then be detected very much like an MRI uses. PET scans have higher resolution, however, as the higher energy of the PET scan’s radiation means the human body and skull block or distort far fewer photons, allowing for better scans of the brain.

Seau’s family is also suing Ridell, the manufacturer of the helmets used in the NFL. The family claims Ridell was “negligent in their design, testing, assembly, manufacture, marketing, and engineering of the helmets.” used by NFL players.

“We were saddened to learn that Junior, a loving father and teammate, suffered from CTE,” the family said in a statement released to the Associated Press. “While Junior always expected to have aches and pains from his playing days, none of us ever fathomed that he would suffer a debilitating brain disease that would cause him to leave us too soon. We know this lawsuit will not bring back Junior. But it will send a message that the NFL needs to care for its former players, acknowledge its decades of deception on the issue of head injuries and player safety, and make the game safer for future generations.”

The lawsuit accuses the NFL and NFL Films of creating the myth that punishing hits are “a badge of courage which does not seriously threaten one’s health.”

Having grown up seeing many of these films before the PC police toned it down somewhat, I can say for sure those earlier films didn’t leave me with the impression they were good for the person on the receiving end.

Apparently, they’re not so good for those dishing them out, either.

No word of any official response yet from the NFL or Roger Goodell, but they knew this was coming. The NFLPA is in the process of executing a multi-billion dollar lawsuit on behalf of ex-NFL players and their families. Having watched Goodell’s interviews and replies to certain questions over the past year or so, it’s obvious that the NFLPA suit is one of the biggest challenges he and the NFL face and has been at the forefront of the NFL Commissioner’s mind.

One comment that I guffawed at was in response to the Jovan Belcher tragedy in midseason. Goodell said “Safety is at the top of the NFL’s list…” he said. I didn’t believe him then, either. He finished the “thought” off by adding “…and has been for decades” before quickly moving the topic along with more lies.

No, Roger. We know what “has been at the top of the list for decades” in the NFL.

Money.

All photos of Junior Seau have been taken offline of US Presswire for reasons as yet unknown.

Follow me on Twitter @Ken_Dye

December 8, 2011; Pittsburgh,PA, USA: Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy (12) is attended to by medical personnel after a helmet to helmet hit by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison (92) during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 14-3. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE

Talk of player safety has increased over the past few years, but little of consequence seems to have been done about it. Sure, we’ve seen James Harrison getting fined every other week, and new “rules” for concussion recipients are in place.

Tell that to Colt McCoy, who was clobbered in a game against – you guessed it, the Steelers by – you guessed it – James Harrison. McCoy sat woozy on the turf and was obviously wobbling when he did get up.

He was left in the game.

That one play could wind up being the centerpiece of the massive lawsuit against the NFL and used as an example of total systemic failure on the part of the NFL to properly protect players and could wind up being the costliest hit Harrison has ever delivered.

However, he won’t be the only one paying for it.

Should the multibillion-dollar suit succeed, there’s a very real possibility that the league could be shut down either temporarily or have outsiders dictate the rules of the game. We could wind up with the FFL, and I’m talking “Flag” not “Fantasy” depending on how things go.

To add fuel to the fire, league Guru Ricky Williams said that he doesn’t trust “doctors” as he air-quoted the word, when it comes to medicine. Really?

Considering the source, that should make the NFL even that much more worried over the litigation it faces. Whatever the league airhead proclaims to be true, the opposite should be assumed and move forward from there. The fact Williams retired after last season notwithstanding.

Even back in 2009, GQ of all publications came out with an article called “Game Brain” prompted in large part by the death of former all-universe center and – you guessed it – former Steeler – Mike Webster back in 2002.

The full 9-page article can be found here:

http://www.gq.com/sports/profiles/200909/nfl-players-brain-dementia-study-memory-concussions?currentPage=1

I highly recommend reading it in its’ entirety, but here I’ll sum up as much as I can.

Webster had retired after fifteen seasons, all with the Steelers, and his life after football became one tragic turn after another. At one point, he was broke and living in a car without even all the windows intact. He reportedly bought a Taser and would tase HIMSELF unconscious so he could sleep.

If that’s not someone in dire need of assistance, I don’t know who is.

What the autopsy revealed at the time was Webster suffered from “Punch-Drunk Syndrome” which is just as it sounds like: something that Boxers (ever seen Mohammed Ali after about age 40?) get way too much. But Webster’s brain didn’t look different from a normal one on the outside – Boxers often wind up with visible contusions on their brain from repeated blows to the head.

Webster wore a helmet. That should’ve prevented such a thing right?

Not so fast.

Webster had been to multiple doctors, asked for help many times, and according to the GQ piece, applied for the highest compensation level allowed by the NFL: “total disability, football-related.” Had he gotten approved, he would have gotten as much as $12,000 monthly. After 6 months of tracking down Webster’s doctors and medical records since Webster’s memory was by now horrible (he couldn’t recall if he were married or not, for instance) and presenting the case to the NFL, the league responded by “wanting Mike Webster to see THEIR doctor.”

What this almost always translates to is “Before we can make a decision, you have to see a doctor that is on OUR payroll and whose job it is to minimize awards to former players so he can save us (the NFL) TONS and TONS of cash.”

Webster’s case was so obvious, as it turns out, even the NFL’s doctor agreed with Webster’s others: his injuries were caused by playing football.

The NFL committee unanimously voted for PARTIAL disability despite this. That’s the lowest level allowed. LOWEST LEVEL FOR MIKE WEBSTER?

Appeals followed, the NFL fought them. Webster died soon afterward.

I could recount case after case after case, starting with the hit on Cleveland Browns’ signal caller Colt McCoy, continue with Junior Seau, and bring up several players that have recently retired because of concussions. I trust my point is made.

No doubt, the litigators have gathered information like this and hundreds of other cases. Granted, Webster’s is an extreme example, but he’s not alone by any means. The attorneys will present each case along with the records that the NFL will be forced to provide to paint a picture of the league ignoring the issue probably for much, much longer than we even know today.

What I see coming out of this is MAJOR trouble for the league in general. With today’s Workers’ Compensation laws and Federal vs. state jurisdictions, it’s already a big mess but unifying the lawsuits has brought some measure of focus to the problem as well as intense media and fan scrutiny.

I can’t see how the NFL will be left untarnished and unpunished. As a result, should the suit succeed, at minimum we should see a large increase in prices and fees the league and NFL franchises will charge for everything from tickets to jerseys – forcing the middle class to stay home instead of attending the games. Revenue will be more difficult to generate with a smaller paying fan base, and the entire pie will shrink.

Furthermore, the ripple effects will be that player salaries could very well begin to _decrease_ which in turn will cause more labor strife. The NFLPA union will rightly demand more concessions for ex-players and a much larger revenue share going to the retired players’ fund for these injuries and in turn putting even further strain on the finances of the NFL.

After that, the entire business model could collapse.

Welcome to reality, folks.

Dec 5, 2010; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings doctor Joel Boyd (right) tends to quarterback Brett Favre (4) after he was hit hard by the Buffalo Bills in the first quarter at the Metrodome. Favre did not return. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-US PRESSWIRE

Junior Seau’s recent tragic death put the exclamation point on the player safety issues that have been percolating for the past few years and this lawsuit was much longer in the making than just the 6 weeks since Seau’s suicide.

The suit was officially filed in Philadelphia on Thursday. With nearly a hundred suits being filed on behalf of over 2,000 players in the past year or so, it was decided to make one big case out of it instead. Since they all stem from the same issue, they unified the legal action.

Basically, the suit claims the NFL knew of the problems that have faced players regarding head injuries for many years and has done little to nothing about it until recently, and that even that isn’t nearly enough.

Of course, the NFL says the suit has no merit. I think that’s what everyone always says before a case in the public eye like this one is if you’re the defendant. It’s almost like the politi-speak in Washington that George Carlin (R.I.P.) had such a hilariously insightful routine about (among many other things). The NFL spokesperson said the suit alleges that the NFL sought to “mislead” players.

I think the facts should speak for themselves. It’s only been in the past 2 or 3 years at MOST that head trauma has become a concern of the NFL on a preemptive or preventative level. The players say things like NFL Films “glorified the violence” and they’re right, they did in many instance. Just watch some of the old “Voice of God/John Facenda”-narrated stories of the 60′s and 70′s. Some of it was almost poetic, but glorified violence of the game nonetheless.

NFL Films is NOT the NFL, however. This case should be in the headlines repeatedly this summer, so watch out for news as it happens. The NFLPA is NOT a party to the suit; it’s former players and a number of ex-wives who are suing for loss of alimony as a result of the lost income.

I think this will get more convoluted before it gets any clearer. Stay tuned.