Dallas Court Hears First NCAA CTE Lawsuit

National Collegiate Athletic Association football players with concussion injuries could soon receive similar justice as their National Football League counterparts as the first NCAA CTE lawsuit makes its way into a Dallas court on June 11. The widow of a deceased college football player has filed a personal injury lawsuit against the NCAA alleging that the organization dropped the ball in its failure to protect young players from the neurodegenerative disease, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

Deb Ploetz, the widow of former University of Texas (UT) football player Greg Ploetz, has filed the lawsuit in the District Court of Dallas County. The lawsuit establishes jurisdiction by noting that Greg played several games and suffered concussions in the Cotton Bowl. In addition, it claims that the NCAA “failed to address the coaching of tackling or playing methodologies that cause head injuries.” Further, the suit argues that the NCAA “failed to implement system-wide return-to-play guidelines.”

Previous NCAA CTE lawsuits resulted in settlements, dismissals or are still being litigated.  The lawsuit asks for damages for negligence and wrongful death. It also asks the jury to consider a variety of issues; such as physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, medical expenses and loss of earnings.

Greg played as a defensive tackle for the Longhorns in 1968, 1969 and 1971. In 1999, he received a dementia diagnosis. He spent the last few years of his life suffering from the condition as his quality of life significantly decreased. Upon his death, his brain was donated to the Concussion Legacy Foundation at Boston University. The facility determined Greg had Stage 4 CTE at the time of his death at age 66 in May 2015. Stage 4 CTE is the most severe form of the condition and causes dementia. Doctors told Deb of Greg’s CTE condition in December 2015.

NCAA CTE Lawsuit: The Carlson Law Firm Can Help 

If you or someone you love formerly or currently play professional or collegiate football and is suffering from complications stemming from concussions or traumatic head injury, please do not hesitate to contact The Carlson Law Firm. We have medical professionals testing players and former players to see if their condition qualifies for a case. Our law firm is capable of NFL and NCAA CTE lawsuit and is ready to fight for you. We can provide confidential case evaluations so you can explain your case to us. Moreover, we can provide you with information on the best legal recourse.