Judge Orders Riddell To Pay $3.1 Million In Damages

TALLAHASSEE, FL – A Colorado judge ruled against Riddell, the nation’s leading helmet maker, Saturday, ruling it did a poor job of warning players who wear its helmets about the risks of head trauma. The company must play a former high school football player millions of dollars.

Rhett Ridolfi, 22, a former football player for Trinidad High School, was paralyzed on his left side after a blow to the head during a practice in 2008. The incident happened while he wore a helmet made by Riddell. Ridolfi and his attorney say the company is to blame, and jurors agreed. 

Courtesy, Riddell

“He has no judgment control; he has no concerns for safety for himself,” said Frank Azar, Ridolfi’s attorney. “He’s missing the parts of the brain we all have that controls those things.” 

Riddell must pay Ridolfi $3.1 million, which is about 27 percent of the $11.5 million he won in total. Ridolfi’s case victory, however, is rather uncommon, as many players in the past were unsuccessful in such lawsuits. But this instance could be a sign of what’s to come for the NFL, which is dealing with a concussion lawsuit of its own. Several retired players are suing for damages. 

“While disappointed in the jury’s decision not to fully exonerate Riddell, we are pleased the jury determined that Riddell’s helmet was not defective in any way,” Riddell said in a statement.

“We are confident,” the company continued, “that the jury would have reached a different conclusion had the court not erroneously excluded the testimony of our warnings experts.”

Florida A&M Athletic Trainer Akima Dima sides with the court ruling, saying concussion education is necessary for an athlete’s well being.

“It’s very important for athletes to be aware of how serious concussions are,” she said. “My athletes are aware of the severity. You ultimately can’t control what happens on the field. But just like many things, the more knowledge you have, the better off you’ll be.”

The NFL’s court case begins this summer. More than 4,000 retirees are suing the league because they say it knew how serious head trauma was but withheld the information. Riddell is also named in that lawsuit, and company officials say it should be excluded.

Riddell and other helmet manufacturers follow standards set by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment. Critics, however, say the organization’s standards are too laidback and need reforming.

                                                   
By Brandon Lee

With contributions by The New York Times, Headlines and Global News

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Pernetti Out As Rutgers Athletic Director

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Tim Pernetti resigned as Rutgers University Athletic Director Friday, three days after a video showing basketball head coach Mike Rice abusing players and using foul language aired and caused a public outcry.

                                                        Tim Pernetti, nytimes.com 

The video, which surfaced Tuesday, shows Rice grabbing, pushing and slinging basketballs at players, and using homophobic slurs during practice. The university released Pernetti’s detailed letter of resignation Friday morning.

"I write in confirmation of our conversation earlier today during which we agreed that it was in the best interests of Rutgers University that I step down from my position as Director of Intercollegiate Athletics," Pernetti wrote to Rutgers University. "I do so reluctantly because I always have and always will love Rutgers.”

Pernetti seemingly witnessed Rice’s abusive behavior last November when he obtained a copy of the video. But instead of firing Rice, Pernetti fined him $50,000, suspended him for three games the following month, and required him to attend anger management courses.

In the resignation letter, however, Pernetti says his instincts told him harsher punishment was necessary.

"My first instincts when I saw the videotape of Coach Rice's behavior was to fire him immediately," he said. "However, Rutgers decided to follow a process involving university lawyers, human resources professionals, and outside counsel. Following review of the independent investigative report, the consensus was that university policy would not justify dismissal.”

ESPN was the first to expose the video, which caused a national uproar almost immediately. Pernetti ultimately fired Rice the next day. But many people say Pernetti should have fired him immediately after viewing the footage.

Mike Rice, Associated Press

Rutgers President Robert Barchi, who says he didn’t see the video last November, expressed a similar sentiment.

“I know had I seen the tape that my assessment would have differed from theirs, and I would have acted on my assessment,” Barchi said, later adding, “I can’t answer exactly why I didn’t. You can only say in retrospect I sure wish I had.”

Rice has since made a statement, saying he accepts full responsibility for his actions.

“I’ve let so many people down: my players, my administration, Rutgers University, the fans,” Rice told the Associated Press.

“Right now, there’s no explanation for what’s on those films,” Rice continued. “There’s no excuse for it. I was wrong. I want to tell everybody who’s believed in me that I’m deeply sorry for the pain and hardship that I’ve caused.”

Parts of the Rutgers community are speaking out on Pernetti’s behalf. By Friday, about three thousand people became members of a Facebook group calling for him to remain athletic director. Eric LeGrand, a former Rutgers football player who was paralyzed during a game in 2010, also campaigned in Pernetti’s favor.

By Brandon Lee

With contributions by The New Yorks Times, The Associated Press, Rutgers University, Newsmax

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Six Track and Field Athletes Busted For Doping

TALLAHASSEE, FL - Six track and field athletes who participated in Helsinki’s 2005 World Championship are accused of doping after banned substances were found in their samples following a reexamination, the International Association Of Athletics Federation said March 8.

The accused athletes – who compete for Russia and Belarus – include two silver medalists and three gold medalists. Among them is shot-putter Nadzeya Ostapchuk, who placed first at the World Championship. Her name was linked to performance-enhancing drugs once before. Authorities stripped the gold medal she won at the London Olympics because she tested positive for anabolic steroids.

Andrei Mikhnevich, nytimes.com

According to the IAAF, hammer throw champions Ivan Tsikhan of Belarus and Olga Kuzenkova of Russia, tested positive for banned substances as well.  

Belarusian Shot-putter Andrei Mikhnevich, Belarusian hammer-thrower Vadim Devyatovskiy, and Russian long-jumper Tatyana Kotova also tested positive.

“The I.A.A.F.’s message to cheaters is increasingly clear that, with constant advancements being made in doping detection, there is no place to hide,” IAAF president Lamine Diack said in a statement.

“This retesting is just the latest example of the IAAF's firm resolve to expose cheating in our sport,” Diack continued. “The IAAF will continue to do everything in its power to ensure the credibility of competition and, where the rules have been broken, will systematically uncover the cheats."

IAAF officials say disciplinary actions against the athletes have started. Because of anti-doping rules, possible punishment includes stripping of medals and lengthy suspensions from all track and field competitions.

        Nadzeya Ostapchuk, nytimes.com

The news has surfaced during a turbulent period for Russian athletics, as the World Anti-Doping Agency has already suspended 33 other athletes after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Peter Eriksson, head coach of United Kingdom Athletics, said the issue casts a shadow over this year’s World Championship, which will be held in Moscow starting Aug. 10.

"That's a bad number. They need to do work within the Russian system to find out what's going on," Eriksson told BBC Radio 5 Live before the European Indoor Championships. "You can only push WADA and all of the agencies who are dealing with doping to do more."

The IAAF didn’t say which substances were detected after the six athletes’ samples were retested. Governing bodies in sports keep samples for at least eight years because the World Anti-Doping Code says urine and blood samples can be sanctioned up to eight years after they were provided. Authorities often retest samples just in case they were unable to detect a banned substance the first time.

Wayne Angel, a former track athlete and Florida A&M University’s track and field head coach, says one reason it takes much longer to detect certain banned substances is because some athletes use higher quality substances.

“Many of the guys who are in those situations are probably taking high-class type dope and have good physicians who can cover it up,” Angel said. “The cheap stuff gets detected quickly. The really good stuff can be overlooked because it synthesizes with the body.”

The penalties that follow doping are notably common today. After Ukrainian Shot-putter Yuriy Bilonog’s samples were retested in December, she was proven guilty of doping during the 2004 Athens games.

Authorities stripped Ostapchuk’s gold medal just one day after the London Games’ closing ceremony. Authorities say she tested positive for Methenolone. an anabolic substance.

By Brandon Lee

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American Academy of Neurology Revamps Concussion Tests

TALLAHASSEE, FL - The American Academy of Neurology is changing the way it handles concussions, treating athletes on an individual basis instead of along a standardized scale, officials announced Monday in San Diego. They say the revisions would accelerate recovery.  

                                                                                   Courtesy, ESPN

With those revisions, the AAN now approaches concussions in a way similar to the NFL and other sports organizations. The decision fundamentally accepts that all head injuries are unique and should be treated accordingly.

“We’ve moved away from the concussion grading systems we first established in 1997 and are now recommending concussion and return to play be assessed in each athlete individually,” said Christopher C. Giza, a doctor at the David Geffen School of Medicine and Mattel Children’s Hospital at U.C.L.A. and a lead author of the new guidelines. “There is no set timeline for safe return to play.”

 Giza and other authors of the report say predetermined concussion tests are indeed useful and should be practiced. But they also say more should be done because those tests only scratch the surface of the issue.

“Symptom checklists, the Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC), neuropsychological testing (paper-and-pencil and computerized) and the Balance Error Scoring System may be helpful tools in diagnosing and managing concussions but should not be used alone for making a diagnosis,” the report states.

The guideline revisions were announced during the ANN’s 65^th-annual meeting. They were also published in Neurology, the academy’s medical journal, which centers on nervous system conditions.

The report says more than a million American athletes suffered concussions last year. I says the injuries were most common among athletes who played football and rugby. Concussions were also common among athletes who played hockey, soccer and basketball. In regards to football, the report says all football helmet types provide equal protection from concussions.

Akima Dima, the head athletic trainer for Florida A&M University’s football team, says it’s important to view concussions uniquely because the impact that causes them is never uniform.

“It all boils down to how the individual reacts to that concussion,” Dima says. “For athletics, the severity of the impact plays a role in recovery. And no impact is ever necessarily the same.”

Concussion symptoms include headaches, light and sound sensitivity, and poor coordination. Some athletes might also experience changes in their speech, judgment, awareness and sleep patterns. ANN guidelines call for athletes to be sidelined if they experience these signs.

“If in doubt, sit it out,” said Jeffrey Kutcher, a doctor at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor and a member of the academy. “You only get one brain; treat it well.”

By Brandon Lee

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