Former Texas player files $50 million lawsuit against NCAA
A former Texas Longhorns offensive lineman and tight end has filed a $50 million class action lawsuit against the NCAA, according to KEYE-TV Austin.
Julius Whittier was a member of the Longhorns from 1969-1972 and was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease around August 2012, according to his lawsuit.
He cites "repeated traumatic head impacts" he sustained as a player as the reason for his health problems and argues that the NCAA "has breached its duty to protect college football players in the face of long-standing and overwhelming evidence regarding the need to do so."
Whittier's lawsuit includes all former NCAA football players who played from 1960-2014, did not go on to play professional football and who have been diagnosed with a latent brain injury or disease.
In the lawsuit, Whittier alleges that the NCAA ignored its duty to protect players and "profited immensely from its inaction and denial, all to the detriment of the players." He also claims the NCAA failed to educate football players of the "long-term, life-altering risks and consequences" of head impacts in the sport.
- Molly Geary
