Arland Bruce files concussion-related grievance

Unable to take his case to court, Arland Bruce has filed a grievance against five teams and the Canadian Football League over concussion-related brain injuries.

Bruce, 40, is seeking compensation for loss of past and future wages, plus ongoing medical and rehabilitation costs.

The grievance was filed electronically on Thursday with the CFL, the CFL Players Relations Committee, the B.C. Lions, Montreal Alouettes, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Bruce’s lawyer, Robyn Wishart of Vancouver, said there had been no response as of Friday afternoon.

Bruce played between 2001 and 2014 with the Blue Bombers, Argonauts, Tiger-Cats, Lions and Alouettes.

He filed a lawsuit against the CFL, all nine franchises, former commissioner Mark Cohon and others in 2014, but the respondents argued successfully in British Columbia Supreme Court and the B.C. Court of Appeal that the claim had to be heard in arbitration — not in court — because Bruce had been a member of the CFL Players’ Association.

Bruce applied for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, but it denied the application without comment in mid-March.

A class-action claim by more than 200 former CFL players was filed in Ontario in 2015, seeking $200 million in concussion-related damages for those who participated in practices and games between 1952 and 2015.

Shortly after the Supreme Court denied Bruce’s appeal application, the CFLPA filed a grievance against the CFL seeking compensation for players “injured as a result of the respondent’s failures and negligence,” with “damages and interest where appropriate.” It also requested policy and rule changes aimed at reducing injuries and obtaining coverage under provincial workers’ compensation plans.

A CFLPA spokesman said the association had no further comment on the grievance at this time.