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Another concussion lawsuit

Discussion in 'Sooner Football' started by Jacie, Jan 20, 2017.


  1. Jacie

    Jacie SoonerFans.com Elite Member

    Wife of Texas football legend Greg Ploetz sues NCAA over CTE
    Ploetz, who never played in the NFL, was diagnosed with Stage 4 CTE after his death
    • by Dennis Dodd
    The worst was when Greg Ploetz -- a true Texas football hero if there ever was one -- lashed out at his wife in the throes of dementia.

    "Bottom line was, these men they literally lose their minds," Ploetz's wife, Deb, said recently.

    That's why, on Thursday, she filed a wrongful death lawsuit blaming her husband's 2015 death -- among other issues -- on lax NCAA guidelines regarding head trauma.

    Greg Ploetz, who played defensive tackle for the 1969 Texas national champions, was diagnosed with Stage 4 Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) after his death. Stage 4 is the worst form of the disease.

    The suit alleges the NCAA knew or should have known about the risks relating to repeated blows to the head. It does not specify damages.

    The suit further states the NCAA didn't implement return-to-play guidelines for those with head injuries back then. The University of Texas is not named in the action.

    CTE is now widely thought to be the result of repeated blows to the head -- in this case -- from football. What makes Ploetz's case so unique is that he did not play professional football. His symptoms did not begin until 2005, 33 years after he stopped playing for the Longhorns.

    Ploetz's case is believed to be among those filed by former college athletes that reach furthest into the past. Ploetz played in the 1969 Texas-Arkansas "Game of The Century." He was a captain under coach Darrell Royal, and his last game was the 1972 Cotton Bowl.


    The NCAA has developed more stringent return-to-play guidelines in head trauma cases. The problem is enforcing those guidelines. There are no penalties for schools that don't follow through.

    The guidelines came about as the result of a landmark class-action suit settlement last year.

    The part I don't understand is that Deb Ploetz filed a lawsuit against the NCAA but not the school. This guy played under Darrel Royal. Try to imagine what practices must have been like at a place like sa*et under DKR (or read Meat on the Hoof). I don't recall anyone talking about concussion, head trauma or long-term effects from blows to the head but given the way teams used to practice then, it would seem the school would be the first defendant in a case like this. I guess she doesn't want to alienate the whorn nation. Not sure how they would prove the NCAA was aware of this in 1972 nor how it can be held responsible now. It is a tragic story, hardly unique though and the equivalent of suing the insurance industry for deaths from automobile crashes from when cars didn't have seat belts but not the automobile manufacturers. It is saying they should have known.
     
  2. swardboy

    swardboy SoonerFans.com Elite Member

    Agree, those were the dark ages as far as head trauma knowledge went. We just "had our bell rung." It sure cleared out my sinuses though!
     
  3. Monster Zero

    Monster Zero Member

    Antropogenic Global Warming is a global political hoax.

    CTE is real.
     
  4. Jeff756

    Jeff756 New Member

    I completely agree with you.
     
  5. SoCalBigRed

    SoCalBigRed Well-Known Member

     

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