Concussions: Ex-Australian rules football star sues

BET À DAY

A former Australian rules football star launched a 'historic' class action lawsuit against the sport's governing body on Tuesday for concussion-related injuries, and dozens of other former players are expected to join join it. 

Max Rooke played 135 matches for the Geelong club before retiring in 2010. He now wants compensation from the Australian Football League (AFL) for brain injuries he claims he suffered while playing.

Australian rules football, which uses many of the rules of rugby but is played on a cricket pitch, is the number one sport in Australia: the championship final is usually played in front of more than 100,000 spectators each year in Melbourne.

The 41-year-old has filed a class action lawsuit in the Supreme Court of Victoria, Melbourne, alleging he suffered 'permanent life-altering concussion-related injuries which are due to the negligence of the AFL,” said his lawyer, Michel Margalit, in a press release.

More than 60 former players have come forward to join the class action, Margalit added.

These are believed to be suffering from long-term injuries, including neurological disorders such as traumatic brain injury and dementia. “The injuries suffered by this group of former AFL players have had a devastating impact on their lives and those of their loved ones,” said Mr Margalit. “Some of the players who joined this historic collective action were never able to keep a job after leaving the AFL,” he said.

Mr. Margalit added that a similar class action lawsuit filed in the United States by former NFL football players resulted in an initial payout of more than $1 billion.

He There is also a similar legal action underway in rugby union, with 275 former players seeking compensation for brain damage, including 2003 World Cup winner Steve Thompson with England and former England captain Ryan Jones. of Wales.