Former ‘Cuse football player sues SU, AAC, and NCAA

Marcus Clayton, a former SU football player brought a lawsuit against both Syracuse University, the American Athletic Conference(AAC), and the NCAA on Tuesday, October 4th. The suit claims that all three organizations knowingly failed to protect him from the dangers posed by concussions. Clayton played as a wide receiver, kick returner, and corner back in his three years as part of SU’s football team from 2003 to 2005.

Clayton claims in the lawsuit that due to concussions sustained in his time on the football team, he now suffers from memory issues, headaches, and mood swings, among other concussion related issues.

The Mayo Clinic defines a concussion as “a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that alters the way your brain functions.” A TBI can occur in many ways, such as a GSW or car accident but the most common way is by a violent blow to the head. In most cases, the effects are temporary but in the case of professional footballers, the effects of a concussion can be devastating when the brain is not given adequate time to recover. Clayton states than when he was hit in the head during games, he was quickly returned to play, thus having virtually no time to recover. Allegedly, Syracuse required the players to continue to play after head injuries, so that they could help advance the SU football program by helping to win games, and thus millions of dollars in revenue for all parties cited in the lawsuit.

A CAT Scan and MRI would not show physical loss to the brain. Instead, symptoms of a concussion are related to impairment of cognition and higher executive function, which is directly related to the frontal lobe and the cortex located there, as well as potentially limited motor function, which is directly related to the primary motor cortex. Symptoms include headaches, confusion, fatigue, and appeared dazed among other significant symptoms.

In the case of Clayton and other footballers, the concussion was certainly caused by a closed head injury, which causes diffuse damage as a result. Diffuse damage is often more dangerous than focal damage because more of the brain is damaged, and it is more likely that the individual will experience mild to extreme consequences.

If left untreated, a TBI can influence the victim in every aspect of his or her life. For example, a blow to the frontal lobe could play a role in the ability for the individual to express emotions appropriately and their ability to function independently. In fact, 85,000 people suffer from long term disability every year as a result of TBIs. If Clayton has suffered damage to this extent and a medical professional can prove it, there is almost no doubt that Syracuse University Athletics will be looked at very closely.

The NFL has been under fire for years regarding their disregard towards players who have suffered from concussions. In March 2016, The New York Times accused the NFL of “flawed concussion research” and “ties to the tobacco industry.” Approximately one hundred concussions were left out of the NFL’s official study, which was performed by a team of physicians between 1996 and 2001. The NCAA operates under the same terms. After their most recent filing, 43 new class-action lawsuits against the organization have popped up. Beyond Marcus Clayton and Syracuse University, other Division I universities will lawsuits filed against them include Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, and Pittsburgh.

Marcus Clayton’s is the latest in these class actions lawsuit, and it remains to be seen the effect this suit will have on both SU and it’s sports teams. However, since this lawsuit is still pending, Syracuse University is unable to make a statement responding to the accusations made by Clayton.