Update: NFL Players vs Riddell Helmet
In 2011, when former NFL players began to sue the NFL over the concussion issue, some of the complaints included the helmet maker Riddell / Easton-Bell. You can read one of those lawsuits here.
Although U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody granted final approval of the NFL Concussion Settlement between the league and the players last April, the deal did not include the Riddell defendants. Riddell had requested severance from the federal suit in 2012, and on December 1, 2015 Brody granted that request. On January 27, 2016 Judge Brody reversed herself and threw the original cases back into the NFL concussion lawsuit.
Brody has decided to consolidate the approximately 1,000 cases that included Riddell - with the goal of having the parties reach a settlement. But according to Jason Luckasevic, one of the lawyers representing players, Riddell hasn’t even bothered to come to the bargaining table.
Last week he turned up the heat on Riddell by telling the New York Post that he has uncovered new evidence and documents that the company and league knew more about the risks of concussions than has previously been disclosed. He also gave Riddell a harsh warning: “We are going to put an end to that helmet maker.”
According to Luckasevic, some of Riddell’s claims about its helmets were never substantiated. For example, in 2006 they said their “Revolution” helmets could reduce concussions by 31%, but they never tested them for the type of hits that cause most concussions.
If all this wasn’t bad enough, Riddell is also facing proposed class action lawsuits by former college football players and a youth football league that claims the company misled consumers on the concussion reduction capabilities of its youth helmets. Midwestern Midget Football Club Inc. filed a motion to compel discovery, saying that the equipment maker has not provided any documents or witnesses and has ignored their requests.
Riddell also appealed a Colorado state court ruling that found them liable for $3.1 million in damages due to a player’s injury, but the Appeals court affirmed the amount of damages assessed against Riddell and noted that a retrial may focus on Riddell’s liability for “Negligent Failure to Warn.” That same negligence issue is being claimed in the NFL player’s lawsuit against Riddell and, in my opinion, it's probably one of their strongest arguments.
If you would like to take a stroll down memory lane and see how Riddell arrived at this day of reckoning, you can read an excellent ESPN article entitled “Report warned Riddell about helmets” by Sabrina Shankman, a reporter for PBS Frontline.
With all of the lawsuits and pressure being exerted on them, I wouldn’t be surprised if Riddell and company started to get serious about negotiating a Settlement. It might be the only thing that keeps them from bankruptcy. But then again, it might be the thing that delivers the final knockout blow - and puts them on the sidelines like so many players that wore their hemets.
