Jury awards $11.5M in football concussion case

Awareness has been growing in recent years over the danger of concussions suffered by football players, with lawsuits filed at every level of the game including the highly publicized case being pressed by thousands of former NFL players. In Colorado, a jury recently awarded an $11.5 million verdict in the case of a high school player who suffered brain damage and paralysis on his left side after he was injured at practice. Found liable in the case was helmet manufacturer Riddell, which, according to news reports, is responsible for paying $3.1 million of the jury award. A jury did not find the company’s helmet was defective, but it found Riddell liable for failing to warn players wearing its helmets about the dangers of concussions. The family of the injured player, Rhett Ridolfi, sued Riddell and the team coaches after the player suffered a concussion at practice and was not immediately taken to a hospital for treatment. News reports of the case said three parties to the lawsuit reached confidential settlements before the verdict was announced.