The National Football League has long been fighting a legal battle of concussions, and now that is being extended into Pop Warner.
Pop Warner is the nation’s largest youth football league, and according to the New York Times, it has seen a decline in participation in recent years. With everything going on with brain research, it’s easy to understand.
According to the New York Times, a class-action lawsuit has been filed against the youth league, claiming that they knowingly put players in danger:
A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Pop Warner, the nation’s largest youth football league, claiming that the organization knowingly put players in danger by ignoring the risks of head trauma. The suit is the biggest sign yet that youth football programs are the next front in the legal battle over concussions.
Unlike other cases that have centered only on football leagues, the complaint also accuses USA Football, the youth football arm of the N.F.L., and the group that creates football helmet safety standards, of failing to protect young players from the dangers of brain trauma and the long-term consequences of repeated head hits, and ignoring medical research that underscores the dangers of playing football.
Ken Belson of the Times mentions that this could potentially be very bad for smaller leagues who wouldn’t be able to afford the same legal troubles that the youth football giant is currently facing.
According to Belson, the case accuses Pop Warner of plenty of mishandlings:
The case filed Thursday accuses Pop Warner of failing to monitor games, practices, rules, equipment and medical care “to minimize the long-term risks associated with brain injuries including repetitive sub-concussive hits”; failing to accurately diagnose brain injuries; and failing to approve the best equipment available. Pop Warner and the other defendants “acted with callous indifference” and players who participated in Pop Warner dating back nearly two decades are entitled to an unspecified amount of damages, according to the complaint.
As aforementioned, the case also very heavily goes against USA Football, which is the youth branch of the NFL. A New York Times investigation revealed that USA Football used flawed research to back up claims that Heads Up Football helped reduce the risk of concussions.
Moving forward, the effect of these types of lawsuits against not just the NFL, but youth football will be something to keep an eye on. With adjustments being made to baseball, and basketball’s popularity ever-climbing, an increased decline in youth playing football should come as no surprise to anybody.