Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Centennial Golf Club youth tournament canceled because of smoke ... Oregon unemployment rate rises despite strong jobs report ... Poor air quality and growing fires continue to plague region ... Centennial Golf Club youth tournament canceled because of smoke ... Oregon unemployment rate rises despite strong jobs report ... Poor air quality and growing fires continue to plague region ... PREPS High school head injury lawsuit filed Comment By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Nov. 29, 2014 at 6:11 PM By The Associated Press Posted Nov. 29, 2014 at 6:11 PM » Social News CHICAGO — A former high school quarterback followed in the steps of one-time pro and college players Saturday by suing a sports governing body — in this case the Illinois High School Association — saying it didn’t do enough to protect him from concussions when he played and still doesn’t do enough to protect current players. The lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Cook on the same day Illinois wrapped up its last high school football championship games, is the first instance in which legal action has been taken for former high school players as a whole against a group responsible for prep sports in a state. Such litigation could snowball, as similar suits targeting associations in other states are planned. The lead plaintiff is Daniel Bukal, a star quarterback at Notre Dame College Prep in Niles until 2003. He received multiple concussions at the suburban Chicago school and, a decade on, still suffers frequent migraines and some memory loss, according to the 51-page suit. Bukal didn’t play beyond high school. The IHSA did not have concussion protocols in place, putting Bukal and other high school players at risk, and those protocols remain deficient, the lawsuit alleges. It calls on the Bloomington-based IHSA to tighten its rules regarding head injuries at the 800 high schools it oversees. It doesn’t seek specific monetary damages. “In Illinois high school football, responsibility — and, ultimately, fault — for the historically poor management of concussions begins with the IHSA,” the lawsuit states. It calls high school concussions “an epidemic” and says the “most important battle being waged on high school football fields ... is the battle for the health and lives of” young players. In a brief emailed statement, IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman said he wanted to keep the spotlight Saturday on the playoff finals. But he said concussion management is “a top priority” and that the IHSA “will continue to be a leader” in reducing head-injury risks. Bukal’s Chicago-based attorney Joseph Siprut, who filed a similar lawsuit against the NCAA in 2011, provided an advance copy of the new lawsuit to The Associated Press. The college sports governing body agreed this year to settle the NCAA lawsuit, including by committing $70 million for a medical monitoring program to test athletes for brain trauma. The deal is awaiting a judge’s approval. The IHSA lawsuit seeks similar medical monitoring of Illinois high school football players, though it doesn’t spell out how such a program would operate. It contends new regulations should include mandatory baseline testing of all players before each season to help determine the severity of any concussion during the season. The lawsuit only targets the Illinois association. High school football isn’t overseen by a single national body equivalent to the NCAA, but rather by school boards, state law and 50 separate associations. Siprut says he intends to file suits against other state governing bodies. Washington was the first state to pass laws addressing sports concussions in children in 2009, including by barring concussed players from returning to the same game. All 50 states have now adopted such laws. But the new lawsuit alleges governing bodies, like the IHSA, have had patchy implementation of state mandates. Around 140,000 out of nearly 8 million high school athletes have concussions every year, most of them football players, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. Some estimates put the number of concussions much higher. Eight high school students died directly from playing football in 2013 — six from head and two from neck injuries — while there were none last year in college or professional football, a 2014 report by National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research says. Speaking Saturday, Siprut said the legal action wasn’t intended to undermine America’s most popular sport. “This is not a threat or attack on football,” he said. “Football is in danger in Illinois and other states — especially at the high school level — because of how dangerous it is. If football does not change internally, it will die. The talent well will dry up as parents keep kids out of the sport— and that’s how a sport dies.” By The Associated Press MailTribune.com By The Associated Press Posted Nov. 29, 2014 at 6:11 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501