WASHINGTON – NFL Hall of Famer Art Monk is joining the national debate surrounding the long-term effects of players who suffer concussions while playing. Monk is suing the league and helmet maker Riddell, reports NFL Concussion Litigation.
Monk, who spent 14 seasons with the Redskins, says he is impaired by the injuries he suffered during his football career, citing short term memory loss, headaches and speech difficulty.
Monk’s lawsuit accuses the NFL of knowing and concealing the long-term effects of concussions while “engaging in a long-running course of negligent and fraudulent conduct.”
The NFL has come under scrutiny recently as the safety debates continue to intensify over what the league knew when it came to concussion-related injuries. Close to 2,000 former players have brought lawsuits against the league for head injuries.
“Players who suffered concussions were told by the NFL and its agents not to be overly concerned, and were regularly returned to game action mere minutes after sustaining them,” the lawsuit said.
Follow WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)