The National Hockey League is faced yet again with another class action lawsuit. Former Boston Bruin Jon Rohloff (1994-1997) is the Plaintiff of the lawsuit; the suit has arisen from the effects of brain injuries caused by concussive and sub-concussive impacts suffered by former NHL players. This new lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in Minnesota district court, follows two others, one filed in November 2013 and the other in April 2014; all three lawsuits were filed by former NHL players.
Any NHL player will sustain multiple hits from game to game, and it’s not uncommon for a player to suffer from multiple concussions or other head related injuries throughout their career. When you commit to playing in the NHL, you also commit to take all of the injuries that may come with playing the game of hockey, but this suit claims that the NHL promoted violence (i.e. fighting) that could ultimately result in concussive and sub-concussive hits and damage to the brain. The suit also suggests that the NHL had not taken any course of action to protect its players from head trauma until recent seasons, as well as implying that the NHL has withheld scientific evidence concerning the health impacts that result from a career in the NHL.
NHL representatives have released no comments on the suit thus far.
