Former Green Bay Packers running back Dorsey Levens is a plaintiff in lawsuits filed in federal court in Atlanta that claim the National Football League has hidden the dangers of brain injuries in football.
The suits were filed Wednesday in Atlanta in behalf of Jamal Lewis, Fulton Kuykendall, Ryan E. Stewart and Levens.
In the suits, the players claim the league knew as early as the 1920s of the potential for severe injury from concussions.
“The NFL has done everything in its power to hide the issue and mislead players concerning the risks associated with concussions,” the suits say.
Levens, who played eight years for the Packers and amassed 7,289 yards in his career over 102 games, said he suffered multiple concussions.
“Levens was not warned by defendants of the risk of long-term injury due to football-related concussions or that the league-managed equipment did not protect him from such injury,” Levens’ suit says. “This was a substantial factor in causing his current injuries.”
The suit says Levens suffers from multiple past traumatic brain injuries with symptoms including, but not limited to, memory loss, headaches and sleeplessness.
Levens played 11 seasons in the league. In addition to the Packers, Levens also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants. He now lives in the Atlanta area.
The NFL released this statement on Thursday: “The NFL has long made player safety a priority and continues to do so. Any allegation that the NFL intentionally sought to mislead players has no merit. 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.”
This week, the league said all games would include an independently certified athletic trainer designated to watch for concussion-related injuries.
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