Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino has joined 14 other ex-players who have sued the National Football League, claiming that the sports league had hidden the risk of concussions they will sustain during football games, Bloomberg reported.
Marino is a Hall of Fame player and had previously worked as a sports analyst on CBS's NFL Today until this year.
Bears and Chargers quarterback Moses Moreno, along with nine-year veteran Dwight Wheeler also joined Marino in the lawsuit
According to Marino's group, the NFL had known about the increased risk of head injuries that players would be subject to in games, and allowed players to use their heads protected by helmets to block, tackle and ram opposing players. Up until 2011, the sports league has denied that there is a link between concussions and long-term chronic brain injury, Marino's group said.
In their May 28 complaint, Marino's group stressed, "The NFL has actively concealed and/or aggressively disputed any causal connection between concussions in NFL football and brain injury or illness."
Marino's group is reportedly seeking unspecified damages and medical monitoring for potential health issues that could arise from concussions in games. Marino himself did not claim any damages in the lawsuit.
The latest complaint filed by Marino's group joins claims by over 5,000 ex-NFL players, which have been consolidated in a federal court in Philadelphia, Bloomberg reported. In January this year, a judge has refused to approve a settlement valued at $914 million for some of the cases, and had said that not all players will be compensated from the settlement.
Marino's lawyer, Sol Weiss, and co-lead counsel Chris Seeger, said in a statement issued to the Los Angeles Times, "We continue to work at the direction of the Court and Special Master as they review the settlement agreement and rightfully ensure that all members of the class are protected. We look forward to finalizing this agreement so that former players can soon begin taking advantage of its benefits."
