Jury gets Gee death suit trial

Following a month of wildly disparate testimony, the wrongful death suit brought by the widow of former USC linebacker Matthew Gee against the NCAA was sent to the jury Monday after closing arguments in L.A. Superior Court.

This is the first case in which a jury will decide whether hits to the head in football led to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and death.

Alana Gee is seeking more than $1.8 million in damages based on her husband’s life expectancy and more than $50 million in damages for wrongful death and loss of her husband’s companionship.

Experts say the verdict will have implications beyond the potential award of damages. If the jury finds the NCAA is responsible for the death of Gee, a f lood of similar lawsuits is expected to be brought against the governing body of college athletics.

If the jury finds that Gee’s death was not caused by CTE and the NCAA is not responsible for his death, a precedent would be established that could hamper future lawsuits.

Virginia canceled its game against rival Virginia Tech scheduled for Saturday following the slaying of three football players on campus just over a week ago. Running back Mike Hollins, who was seriously wounded in that shooting, was released from the hospital. ... Former West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons landed back at Alabama as executive deputy athletic director and chief operating officer. West Virginia fired Lyons, who had led the program for eight years, on Nov. 14 during the football program’s worst stretch in more than 40 years. .. Northern Colorado announced that coach Ed McCaffrey won’t return after the Bears went 6-16 over two seasons. A national search begins immediately, the school said.