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Former NFL player Neil Smith files concussion lawsuit

Posted On: Jan. 2, 2013 12:00 AM CST

Another former National Football League player has filed suit against the league for brain injuries he says were caused by concussions he suffered on the field.

Neil Smith played as a defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1988 to 1996, and went on to play for the Denver Broncos and the San Diego Chargers from 1997 to 2000. In a lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court in Missouri, Mr. Smith said he suffered “repeated and chronic concussive and sub-concussive blows” while playing for the NFL, and alleges that he had several concussions that were improperly treated.

In his complaint, Mr. Smith said that he suffers “permanent and debilitating” effects from alleged NFL-related head injuries, including headaches, memory loss, vertigo and early-onset dementia.

Mr. Smith is accusing the NFL of fraud, negligence, civil conspiracy and other claims, alleging that the league concealed the long-term dangers of concussions. He is seeking medical monitoring and treatment to be paid by the NFL, as well as unspecified damages.

At least 2,400 former NFL players have sued the league over neurological and cognitive problems that they allege were caused by football-related head injuries. Most of the cases have been consolidated into multidistrict litigation in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.