Wave of concussion lawsuits set to test NCAA’s liability

The NCAA is facing more than 300 lawsuits from former college football players who claim their concussions were mistreated, leading to medical problems spanning from headaches to depression and, in some cases, early onset Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease.

The first wave of lawsuits hit college sports’ major governing body in 2016 and more than 200 more were filed recently by Edelson PC, a Chicago-based firm that focuses on class-action cases, and Raizner Slania LLP in Houston. Most of the cases were filed in the U.S. Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

The sheer volume of the cases seems daunting, but experts say those seeking damages akin to the NFL’s billion-dollar settlement with its former players have a challenging argument to make.

“These are very difficult cases,” said Gabe Feldman, director of Tulane University’s sports law program. “They’re difficult because in many of the cases the plaintiff is clearly suffering and the plaintiff has clearly suffered harm. But the challenge is proving that the NCAA, the member institution or the conference or some combination caused that harm and had some legal duty to the plaintiff and breached that duty. Each factor of the analysis could be difficult for the plaintiff to prove. Perhaps the most difficult is the causation piece.”

The concussion claims come as the NCAA awaits a federal judge’s ruling in an antitrust case that challenges the association’s right to cap compensation to football and basketball players at the value of an athletic scholarship. That case is pending in federal court in California.

Jay Edelson, a lead attorney in the latest concussions effort, was part of a previous concussion case against the NCAA that resulted in a $75 million settlement. The settlement included an agreement that a large personal injury class-action lawsuits could not be brought against the NCAA, but individual lawsuits were permitted on a per school basis.

■ Texas backup quarterback Shane Buechele will transfer to SMU once he graduates in May. Buechele placed his name in the NCAA transfer database last month but didn’t reveal his destination until an announcement on Twitter on Thursday.

Buechele was the Longhorns starter in 2016 when he set several Texas freshman passing records. He was No. 2 behind Sam Ehlinger this past season as Texas went 10-4 and beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

■ Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt says offensive lineman Chance Hall is giving up football after dealing with injuries for much of his career.

Hall had one year of eligibility remaining after playing eight games in a reserve role last season as a redshirt junior. He had sat out the entire 2017 season with a knee injury.