Deion Sanders, critic of NFL concussion suits, seeks workers’ comp

Today’s post was shared by Workers Comp Brief and comes from www.latimes.com

During the pregame show before February’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, Deion Sanders shared his thoughts about the thousands of former football players filing concussion lawsuits against the National Football League.

“The game is a safe game,” the television analyst and Hall of Fame cornerback said. “I don’t buy all these guys coming back with these concussions. I’m not buying all that. Half these guys are trying to make money off the deal.”

What Sanders didn’t say was that more than two years earlier he had filed a workers’ compensation claim in California, alleging head trauma and other injuries incurred while playing for the Dallas Cowboys.

 

The case is pending, but in November 2010, Sanders was determined to be 86% disabled by the Division of Workers’ Compensation, case documents show. Four doctors who examined the former star diagnosed more than a dozen medical conditions, including cognitive impairment and behavioral/emotional disorder. The review also said Sanders suffered from arthritis and “arousal disorder,” a sleep impairment.

Sanders is one of a host of current NFL employees, including at least six other NFL Network analysts and dozens of assistant coaches and team personnel, who have made such claims, The Times has found.

The filings from its own employees underscore the depth and complexity of a head injury problem that the NFL is trying hard to put to rest. As the league opens its season this week, it’s pushing legislation in…

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