NHL and concussions. Proposed settlement: $22k/player

[LeHab]

Ugh, I hate wording like "vast majority". Give specifics!

Yeah would be nice to know current numbers and also new deadline. Lawyers will obviously try to sell merits to players in order to reach whatever critical mass is required.

NFL had a 99% opt-in but the two cases are quite different. Just a guess but wouldn't be surprised to see +90% opt-in for NHL once all is done.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Gary is just such a weasel.

And by "Gary" you mean "the owners." Because if it wasn't Bettman, it would be Daly or whoever else sitting as Commissioner who would be saying the exact same things, because that's the message the owners would want put out. Anyone who purported to represent the owners who didn't say things that supported the position of the owners would be instantly fired in a Board of Governors conference call within about an hour of saying something contrary, and the BoG would go find someone else who'd back them lock, stock and barrel.

Makes you wonder, and hope at the very least that the NHL and other sports leagues weren't naïve enough to either ignore the danger.

Also makes you wonder what else the NHL and other pro sports leagues are doing to mitigate the danger, and whether it's really sufficient or if there are additional things that could be done. For all the you're turning the game into a bunch of p***yes whining, the fact is that athletes are bigger, stronger and faster today than they were even 20 years ago, and equipment has evolved such that the force of hits is simply transmitted to other players instead of being absorbed by the equipment and dissipated. Add on the bloodthirsty craving of some fans for bigger, harder, more violent hits, and you've got a recipe for continued devastating long-term injuries to players.

I [and a handful of others] maintain that how equipment is built is going to have to change if we're going to decrease the chances of these kinds of injuries going forward. One way or another, players are going to have to have that "aura of invincibility" because they're practically wearing body armor taken away. There's also going to have to be serious, meaningful deterrence for intentional hits to the head and the players' unions are going to have to buy into that - which means the rank-and-file is going to have to stand up and say "enough of this shit, quit defending the few guys who keep wanting to intentionally hurt the rest of us."

 

[Llama19]

Ex-Falcons LB Tommy Nobis Had Most Severe Form of CTE, Per Researchers

To quote:

"According to Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press, Boston University CTE Center Director Dr. Ann McKee said Monday that Nobis' brain showed a "severe loss of neurons and large CTE lesions throughout the cerebral cortex.""

Source: bleacherreport.com/articles/2818176-ex-falcons-lb-tommy-nobis-had-most-severe-form-of-cte-per-researchers

 

[Llama19]

 

[Llama19]

 

[LadyStanley]

Hmmmm

 

[Llama19]

NHL execs resented concussion warnings from doctors, emails show

To quote:

"Neurosurgeon and concussion specialist Neilank Jha said the NHL and other professional sports leagues have been mismanaging the problem for years.

“Since 2011, from the emails we can see,” Jha said. “They can do a much better job. They need stronger leadership. They need to be more accountable to the players -- the current ones, the past ones, as well as the kids coming up.”

According to league records, 2011 was the worst year ever for concussions. It wasn’t just specialists sounding off about the dangers of brain injuries.

In October of 2011, Nashville’s Mike Fisher was knocked out of a game by a legal hit, causing Predators’ part-owner Tom Cigarran to write to Bettman, demanding action.

"I intend to bring this up at every owners meeting until changes are made,” wrote Cigarran.

“Enough is enough.""

Source: www.ctvnews.ca/w5/nhl-execs-resented-concussion-warnings-from-doctors-emails-show-1.2840881

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

Do we have numbers on how many players accepted the settlement?

 

[PattyLafontaine]

As someone who works in the Workers Compensation (WC) industry 22k is pennies on the dollar. All the NHL players would file their WC claims in California because it has the most worker friendly laws. The players would have had to played in CA only once to file a cumulative trauma claim.

The value of brain injuries obviously would vary but even in the capped WC system you could easily multimillion dollar claims.

The WC system doesn’t address Civil Liability which is uncapped in terms of damages.

Most accepted WC claims in CA settle for more than 22k and that doesn’t include money paid for lost wages or money spent prior to claim settlement. 99,9% of these settlements are not brain injury claims.

Just had brain injury claim settled for over a million and he wasn’t as bad as some of the former NHL players.

To say the NHL got off lightly is an understatement.

 

[LadyStanley]

California changed laws about WC. Really can only file claim if your employer is (mainly) in California (so Anaheim, LA or SJ).

 

[LeHab]

Do we have numbers on how many players accepted the settlement?

Don't expect we will know until NHL final decision sometime before March 20th.

 

[LeHab]

California changed laws about WC. Really can only file claim if your employer is (mainly) in California (so Anaheim, LA or SJ).

And many rushed to take advantage of that loophole before it got closed:

Publicity from a fight over state law prompts players across the country to file more than 1,000 injury claims before a September deadline; that could cost top pro sports leagues hundreds of millions.

February 1, 2014
Last fall, the National Football League scored a huge victory in California, helping push through a new law barring most professional athletes from filing workers' compensation claims in the state.
But that win has come at a cost.
Publicity from a high-profile battle over the legislation prompted players from around the country to file more than 1,000 injury claims just prior to a September deadline — a huge influx that could cost the nation's top professional sports leagues hundreds of millions of dollars to resolve.
In the first two weeks of September, current and retired players filed 569 claims against NFL franchises, 283 claims against Major League Baseball clubs, 113 against National Hockey League teams and 79 against NBA squads, a Los Angeles Times analysis of state workers' compensation data found.
Nearly 70% of the filings include allegations of head or brain injuries caused by repetitive trauma. Most of these athletes appeared to have never played for a California team; they filed claims based on repetitive injuries they say were sustained in part during road games played in the state. It is those claims that are now barred under the new California law.

NFL workers' comp victory comes at a price

 

[Llama19]

 

[LadyStanley]

David Backes's sudden shift to enforcer is a troubling development
Insisting that fighting is the only way David Backes can contribute to the Boston Bruins is highly irresponsible.


Seems more like Neanderthal thinking than 21st century.

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

I've thought for a while that the NHL probably has a drawer full of documents and letters from the NHLPA/Players opposing safety measures, and that's why the settlement offer is so low.

The player's lawyers looked at that and balked. That would play out really bad for the player's in court.

"Your honor here is a letter from the NHLPA demanding we do not implement [SAFETY RULE X]. As a league, what more could we do to protect the these players? We tried to protect them, but players were insistent they didn't want to be protected, and their union did not allow us to protect them against their will."

Rinse and repeat for every safety rule change that the NHLPA opposed at one point.

Even stuff like this:



Will not be looked upon nicely by a judge.

 

[LadyStanley]

Link posted in GM meeting thread....

NHL has been testing all the manufaturers' goalie helmets. Not doing very well absorbing concussive movement (to help prevent concussions). Sounds like there may be some changes to come. (More padding to allow helmet, not head, to better absorb the vibrations?)

 

[LadyStanley]

Once at a place of ‘no hope,’ Sharks broadcaster Jamie...

Paywall
Katie Strang with a powerful article on the struggles of Jamie Baker. Family can (now) identify personality changes that started when he had some concussions during playing days.

He's contemplated suicide a few times. Been in a residential facility to deal with issues and more.

Has a daily routine that helps him.

Beyond the daily recitations, Baker has undergone brain scans, which have helped identify the areas of his brain that are not working at optimal activity levels, the areas that are working at an increased activity level, and those areas that have experienced trauma. Additional tests revealed that while Baker has scored highly in areas such as executive function, processing speed and motor coordination, he scored much lower in areas such as flexibility, self-regulation and social capacity. He has worked with a therapist to treat these issues, undergoing several sessions of brain mapping to determine treatment strategies and hours of neurofeedback to monitor his progress.

And another telling paragraph

That is one thing Baker hopes people can take away from sharing his story publicly — that you cannot possibly know the battle everyone is fighting inside. Few knew what he was going through.

Support your local brain specialist.

 

[Llama19]

Ambrosie to speak at government hearing on concussions

To quote:

"CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie and former NFL player Chris Borland have confirmed they will speak before a Canadian parliamentary committee studying the issue of sports-related concussions before the committee winds up in early May.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has been asked to participate in the hearings but has not yet confirmed whether he will, said Peter Fonseca, a Liberal Party member of parliament from Mississauga, Ont. and former Canadian Olympic team member who is chairing the hearings."

Source: www.tsn.ca/ambrosie-to-speak-at-government-hearing-on-concussions-1.1272287

 

[Llama19]

Series of tweets on concussions from Daniel Carcillo...

 

[mouser]

It’s good to see Carcillo be an advocate now. At the same time it’s hard to forget he had a dozen fines or suspensions in a 429 game career that involved injuring many other players, as well as nearly 3 PIM per game (1223PIM in 429 games).

 

[Llama19]

Lifetime Penalty [Former NHL player Mike Peluso has rejected a settlement in the NHL concussion lawsuit. - Ed.]

To quote:

"And especially tired of being told by the NHL that the problems he [Mike Peluso] battles have nothing to do with his more than 175 fights and countless on-ice collisions in the NHL.

Peluso is damaged goods. Now 50, he played in the NHL from 1990 until 1998 with five NHL teams, including Chicago, Ottawa and New Jersey.

Peluso says he has suffered eight grand mal seizures and has brain damage after playing in the NHL. He holds the league responsible, saying that after he suffered violent head injuries, including some that left him dazed, oblivious or unconscious, team doctors and trainers rushed him back onto the ice too soon."

Source: longform.tsn.ca/lifetime-penalty

 

[LeHab]

Lifetime Penalty [Former NHL player Mike Peluso has rejected a settlement in the NHL concussion lawsuit. - Ed.]

To quote:

"And especially tired of being told by the NHL that the problems he [Mike Peluso] battles have nothing to do with his more than 175 fights and countless on-ice collisions in the NHL.

Peluso is damaged goods. Now 50, he played in the NHL from 1990 until 1998 with five NHL teams, including Chicago, Ottawa and New Jersey.

Peluso says he has suffered eight grand mal seizures and has brain damage after playing in the NHL. He holds the league responsible, saying that after he suffered violent head injuries, including some that left him dazed, oblivious or unconscious, team doctors and trainers rushed him back onto the ice too soon."

Source: longform.tsn.ca/lifetime-penalty

If anyone is interested, his lawsuit filled in January is available here:

 

[Tom ServoMST3K]

Lifetime Penalty [Former NHL player Mike Peluso has rejected a settlement in the NHL concussion lawsuit. - Ed.]

To quote:

"And especially tired of being told by the NHL that the problems he [Mike Peluso] battles have nothing to do with his more than 175 fights and countless on-ice collisions in the NHL.

Peluso is damaged goods. Now 50, he played in the NHL from 1990 until 1998 with five NHL teams, including Chicago, Ottawa and New Jersey.

Peluso says he has suffered eight grand mal seizures and has brain damage after playing in the NHL. He holds the league responsible, saying that after he suffered violent head injuries, including some that left him dazed, oblivious or unconscious, team doctors and trainers rushed him back onto the ice too soon."

Source: longform.tsn.ca/lifetime-penalty

Worth the read, obviously. Some interesting details about players.

 

[LadyStanley]

Concussions in the NHL: The past, present and future of an...

Paywall. Goldstein introduces week of discussion on state of concussions.

Throughout our examination of these individual stories, we found there were broader questions that we didn’t have an answer for. We soon found out some of the answers weren’t easy to find, some of the answers changed along the way, and some were impossible to answer because of what is still unknown about concussions.

Because of this, we wanted to put together a package that looked at what is being done to prevent and treat concussions, and how past incidents can and are informing the future.

Linked articles include Burnside talking with Crosby on his concussion experience, and Lovejoy on his plan to donate his brain.

 

[LadyStanley]

Paywall.

Enjoying the series