Kansas City Chiefs: 9 more players join lawsuit against the team

Five former Kansas City Chiefs’ players filed a lawsuit earlier in the month alleging that the team hid risk of concussions from players.  This includes the potential for permanent brain injuries from repeated concussions.  The suit falls outside the collective bargaining agreement, because in the years 1987 to 1993, one was not in place.  During the period of those years, teams have no net in terms of liability protection.  Nine more former Chiefs players who played for the team during those years have now joined the lawsuit, bringing the total to fourteen total players.

This group includes Albert Lewis, Art Still, Dino Hackett, Todd McNair, Fred Jones, Tim Barnett, Walker Lee Ashley, Emile Harry, and Chris Harris.  This lawsuit has been amended to add in the Chiefs playing surface at Arrowhead Stadium as being a contributing factor for causing concussions.

This lawsuit is important for the NFL because whichever direction it ultimately is decided, it could have a big impact on the rest of the league and future lawsuits against individual teams from this period of time.  The Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans would be excluded from this discussion as these teams or their current iterations did not exist at that time.