Four former players have filed the latest lawsuit claiming the NFL didn't properly protect its players from concussions, citing the bounties paid to New Orleans Saints players for hard hits as just the most recent evidence of the league's violent culture. The lawsuit, filed Monday in state court in Atlanta, said the Saints' pay-for-pain system was another example the league “explicitly relied on violence” and neglected to educate players on the dangers of concussions. The NFL's investigation found that former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams offered thousands of dollars in cash payouts for violent hits over the past three seasons. Ex-players Myron Guyton, Lomas Brown, Jessie Small and Willie Whitehead do not claim in their lawsuit to be victims of Williams' bounty system but cite it as the latest example of a culture that has left former players with debilitating conditions. “There is nothing new or unique about what Gregg Williams said. Although the NFL has now punished Williams and the Saints, for almost its entire history the NFL glorified violent hits,” said the complaint. “It encouraged its players to think of themselves as gladiators. But, along the way, the NFL failed to educate its players about the consequences of such a win-at-all costs mentality.” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said any allegation that the league intentionally sought to mislead players is meritless. “It stands in contrast to the league's actions to better protect players and advance the science and medical understanding of the management and treatment of concussions,” he said. Guyton played for the New York Giants and New England Patriots in the 1980s and 1990s; Brown played for five teams over a 17-year career that ended in 2002; Small played for the Philadelphia Eagles, the Phoenix Cardinals and the Houston Oilers between 1989 and 1993; and Whitehead played for the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints from 1995 to 2006. Atlanta attorney and NFL agent Von DuBose filed the lawsuit on behalf the four players and their wives. He said the men suffer from memory loss, headaches, depression and other symptoms characteristic of those with traumatic brain injuries. They are among more than 1,000 former NFL players suing the league, according to lawyers involved. The cases say not enough was done to inform players about the dangers of concussions in the past, and not enough is done to take care of them today. The complaint filed Monday said the league encouraged players to view themselves as warriors and sold films that lionized the most brutal hits, such as 1992's “The Best of Thunder and Destruction.” It includes the cover of the VHS tape, which shows a player striking the back of an opponent's head while a teammate tugs the same player's facemask. “This gladiator mentality may have allowed the NFL to generate enormous profits, but it has left its players with serious life-altering injuries, including various degrees of brain damage,” the complaint said.
