National Football League

Report: Former CFL All-Star sues league over lack of concussion protection

Published Dec. 3, 2014 11:19 a.m. ET

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The debate over concussions and football is ongoing ... north of the border, too.

TSN.ca reported on Wednesday that former CFL All-Star wide receiver Arland Bruce has filed a lawsuit claiming the league has not done enough to ensure its players receive a new state-of-the-art helmet, particularly those who have already suffered concussions.

Bruce's suit revolves around Riddell's Revolution IQ HITS --€“ which costs about $1,000, more than double the standard helmet. The former standout wide receiver says the helmet technology was used by the Calgary Stampeders' medical staff to convince former quarterback Dave Dickenson to retire in 2009 after suffering repeated concussions.

Bruce also alleges the league misled the public when, during a public relations campaign about concussions, it failed to discuss the long-term dangers of playing football after suffering repeated head trauma.

Bruce alleges a doctor working with the CFL misled the public when he released a study in 2012 claiming three of six brains of deceased CFL players they examined showed signs of the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. The title of that study was "The Absence of CTE" and Bruce's lawyer took issue with both the small sample size and the naming of the study. She also contends the other three brains in the study showed Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS.

According to TSN: The Riddell Revolution IQ HITS helmets "allow every football player on the field to monitor the number and severity of impacts received during game play," Bruce's lawsuit says. "The inner crown of the headgear is ringed with sensors that measure the number of hits to the head a player takes, what part of the head is contacted and the force of the impact."

The Stampeders, the legal filing says, have used the technology since 2008 and it has revealed that offensive linemen average 86 to 92 hits to the head during each game.

Bruce suffered a concussion and was knocked out during a September 2012 game in Regina. He was cleared to play that November and alleges in his lawsuit that he was still suffering from the concussion when he returned to the field.

"CFL teams should ensure players who have had documented concussions are given the expensive Riddell helmets, Bruce's lawyer Robyn Wishart said in an interview with TSN.

The CFL, which refused comment to TSN, has asked that the case be dismissed and sent to arbitration under terms of the league's collective bargaining agreement, Bruce argues he has a right to have his complaint heard in court because the league allegedly misled him and other members of the public, including peewee, high school and university football players.

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