While the league urged a judge to dismiss the players’ claims, lawyers for the players fired back, accusing the NFL of exposing its employees to severe injury and concealing the risk of repeated head trauma.

Bargaining agreements

The players’ lawyers filed a brief on Wednesday in a US District Court in Philadelphia challenging the league’s claim that the case is a labour issue that should be settled through their own collective bargaining agreements. The brief was filed in response to the NFL’s motion to dismiss their claims filed back in August.
As the San Francisco Chronicle website reports, the players argue that the NFL knew of the risks of neurological injuries and failed to ‘implement equipment standards adapted for head trauma’ and cite a common-law duty to protect its employees.