The pussification continues

[Nzoner]

I remember those blistering hot August days in full pads and helmets,sweating and gasping for air during wind sprints and yet no one on our teams ever died from heat stroke.

Now don't get me wrong I'm not making light of the Stringer death I just think this judge's ruling could open up a major can of worms for any and all football coaches,etc.

"Any manufacturer who sells football helmets and shoulder pads without a heat stroke warning, knowing they're being used in extreme heat, does so at its peril," DeMarco said. "The same goes for leagues, coaches, and equipment managers who permit such equipment to be used without heat stroke warnings."



Judge orders jury trial in Stringer suit


The family of former Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Korey Stringer won an important legal victory Monday against the manufacturer of the helmets and shoulder pads he wore when he died nearly eight years ago from complications of heatstroke.

A federal judge in Ohio concluded that manufacturer Riddell Inc. had a duty to warn Stringer that its helmets and shoulder pads could contribute to heat stroke when used in hot conditions.


As a result, U.S. District Court judge John D. Holschuh ordered a Nov. 2 jury trial to determine whether Riddell's failure to warn Stringer comprises legal culpability for his death.


Regardless of that eventual outcome, Stringer family spokesman James Gould termed Monday's ruling "landmark" because it makes the connection between the equipment and heat stroke. Gould said the best way to uphold Stringer's legacy is to "make sure what happened to Korey doesn't happen to any other football player -- from the National Football League all the way down to kids in Pop Warner."


"This decision should go a long way to ensure it doesn't," Gould added.


A Riddell spokesperson did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.


Stringer collapsed after a training camp practice on July 31, 2001 and died the next day in Mankato, Minn.

His wife, Kelci, settled legal claims in 2003 against the Minnesota doctor who treated him. She also settled a lawsuit earlier this year against the NFL, which agreed to support the creation of a heat illness prevention program for athletes of all ages.


Gould said the case against Riddell likely represents the final step of the family's legal pursuits.



"The timing of this is really compelling," Gould said. "Coaches all around the country, at every level, are getting their equipment ready now for camps. This really brings the issue to the forefront."


Holschuh wrote it was "reasonably foreseeable ... that a user of [Riddell's] helmets and shoulder pads during extremely hot and humid conditions might suffer from a heat stroke." Thus, Holschuh concluded, Riddell "owed Stringer a duty to warn."


That conclusion paves the way for the jury trial next fall. It does not legally require Riddell to label its equipment immediately. But Stringer's attorney, Paul DeMarco, said it should provide ample incentive to do so in order to avoid future legal liability.


"Any manufacturer who sells football helmets and shoulder pads without a heat stroke warning, knowing they're being used in extreme heat, does so at its peril," DeMarco said. "The same goes for leagues, coaches, and equipment managers who permit such equipment to be used without heat stroke warnings."

Kevin Seifert covers the NFC North for ESPN.com.

[booyaf2]

Well, it is hot outside.

[Dartgod]

Good Lord.

Didn't they find out that he was taking some sort of speed or performance enhancers? It's been a while so I'm not sure, but I seem to remember something about that.

[wild1]

so they slap a sticker on the helmet. eh.

[CoMoChief]

No offense to anyone that has died or has had complications with heat stroke but practicing outdoors in the heat, having 2-days, etc has been done for years and years, with and without pads.




This family is trying to get a huge check from someone. Didn't they already lose the civil case against the Vikings on this or something?

[Dayze]

hooray....more government involvment. Get ready for lawsuits a plenty.

[Mile High Mania]

It is borderline insane, but I will say this... in regards to sports or anything else in life, if there is technology that can be used (reasonably) to help protect people, why not use it? I realize that people have being doing this for decades, but that doesn't mean we have to avoid useful advances in technology.

[sedated]

because the warnings on cigarettes were so effective

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by sedated

because the warnings on cigarettes were so effective

In 1965 52% of males and 34% of females in the US smoked. Warning labels were implemented in 1966. In 2007, 24% of males and 18% of females in the US smoked. I think the effort to inform the public about the dangers of smoking (while allowing individuals to make their own personal decisions), of which warning labels was only one arm of the campaign, is clearly one of the things government got right.

The winners in this case? Lawyers and sticker manufacturers.

[wild1]

it is representative of the "take care of me" attitude most people have toward the world today.

[Bowser]

Back when I was your age, they made me take salt pills when I played little league, just so I could retain more water in the hot months of summer, and wouldn't be so thirsty. And I LIKED it!

[Molitoth]

Another get rich quick act.

[BigRichard]

I think they should put warnings on winter coats too. How about sweaters? WTF??? Dumbest bunch of bullshit I have read in a while. I hate seeing shit like this.

Lawyers become judges and judges extend cases so lawyers can get paid. If you want to make a good living in this country, fake a head injury and become a lawyer.