Former Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien, winner of Super Bowl XXVI, is the lead plaintiff in the latest class-action lawsuit against the NFL that alleges long-term health damage from repeated head injuries.
The suit was filed March 23 in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, according to The Washington Post. Rypien is one of 127 former players in what is the latest in a rising number of concussion-related class-action suits against the league.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said repeatedly that his goal is to lower the risk of head injuries in the league. He has handed out hefty fines and suspended players for helmet-to-helmet hits over the last several seasons.
In addition to changing rules to further protect quarterbacks and wide receivers, the NFL last season moved kickoffs up to the 35-yard line, which led to more touchbacks and decreased the number of concussions by 40 percent, the league said this week.
