For N.F.L., Concussion Suits May Be Test for Sport Itself (New York Times)

Since July, more than a dozen concussion-related suits have been filed on behalf of over 120 N.F.L. players and their wives, in which claimants argue that the N.F.L. and, in some cases, helmet manufacturers, have misled players about the neurological impact of repeated blows to the head. Several suits also say that even if the league did not know about the potential impact of brain trauma sustained on the field, it should have known. There is no trial set yet and, by many accounts, there may never be one. “The problem is there isn’t necessarily a smoking gun,” said Robert Boland, who teaches sports law at New York University. “The N.F.L. will say we found out about it when you did, and we never saw this kind of damage before.”