Are you ready for some football-related cases?

By Chad Hemenway on September 11, 2014

To mark the start of the football season, we decided to take a look at gridiron-related losses in our database. We sifted through our cases to come up with the following list of the top football-related losses.

Topping the list is a $765 million settlement between the National Football League and thousands of former players and their families (MSCAd ID#731676) The case remains in the court as a federal judge determines whether the amount is adequate. A fairness hearing is scheduled for November in Philadelphia.

Of all sports, golf surprisingly produces the most cases, according to Advisen Loss Insight. Still, about 26 percent of cases are football-related.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) related lawsuits are an emerging risk that could have significant liability consequences for educational institutions.

ALSO READ: Traumatic Brain Injury Liability: What Education Institutions Need to Know

Part of the reason is an increased awareness due to high-profile lawsuits against the professional leagues, like the National Football League. Thousands of players sued the NFL seeking damages for head injuries, alleging the league knew about the high risk of concussions but withheld information from players.

The NFL and players reached a $765 million settlement a year ago but a federal judge is currently mulling whether the amount is adequate.

Unlike professional sports leagues, which have an abundance of financial resources for defense and indemnity payments for TBI-related lawsuits, educational institutions often have no financial margin for error.

Cases involving traumatic brain injuries reached an apex in 2012.

Chad Hemenway is Managing Editor of Advisen News. He has more than 15 years of journalist experience at a variety of online, daily, and weekly publications. He has covered P&C insurance news since 2007, and he has experience writing about all P&C lines as well as regulation and litigation. Chad won a Jesse H. Neal Award for Best Single Article in 2014 for his coverage of the insurance implications of traumatic brain injuries and Best News Coverage in 2013 for coverage of Superstorm Sandy. Contact Chad at 212.897.4824 or [email protected].