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Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino has filed his own NFL concussion lawsuit. Takkarist McKinley Falcons Jersey . Marino, along with 14 other players, filed the lawsuit on May 28 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Marino joins a little under 5,000 retired NFL players and their families that have sued the league across approximately 225 concussion lawsuits. There have been many notable players that have filed lawsuits, including Tony Dorsett, Eric Dickerson, Mark Rypien, Tony Mandarich, Art Monk, Jim McMahon and Jamal Lewis, as well as the estate of the late Junior Seau. None, however, are as well known as Marino. The key allegation raised by Marino is the NFL concealed information. He is arguing that the NFL knew of the long-term neurological impact of headshots but failed to share those findings with the players. This issue of fraudulent concealment was also alleged in the other concussion lawsuits so its not new. Its tough to know if Marino will succeed as everything turns on the evidence presented at trial. To win, he will need to show that the NFL had key and important information about the long-term and devastating impact of headshots and concealed it. The NFL, however, has certain defences available to it. First, it can argue that players were aware of the risk associated with playing football and they agreed to those risks each time they stepped onto the field. The NFL would also maintain that they didnt conceal anything. As well, the NFL could point out that no one can say for sure what caused a players dementia, and even if it was caused by repeated headshots while playing football, how much of that damage was sustained outside the NFL in places like college or high school ball. So what caused the dementia and when it was caused become key issues. The NFL can also argue that Marinos lawsuit doesnt belong in court in the first place, but rather should go to arbitration. The collective bargaining agreement provides that issues of player health and safety go to arbitration and not court. On the flip side, Marino would argue that since this case involves fraud in the form of concealment, it properly falls outside of arbitration and within the jurisdiction of the courts. Bottom line is this: both sides face challenges in this case and thats where we generally see settlement. All this is probably moot, as the league is working on finalizing a global settlement of these cases. You may recall that back in July 2013, the league announced it had settled the concussion lawsuits with the players. The negotiated settlement was for $765 million and would bind every retired NFL player, of which there are about 19,000. You should note, though, Marino is included among these players. So that means that Marino didnt need to file the lawsuit at this time. As well, while settlement was indeed announced, it was not finalized. Before the NFL can consider the case closed, the Court has to approve the terms of settlement. The problem is that on two separate occasions the Court has rejected the settlement on the basis that there is insufficient money to pay all players. As well, even if the Court were to approve the settlement, any of the 19,000 players would have the option to opt-out of the settlement agreement. If a player believes that he can do a lot better filing his own individual lawsuit, he would tell the court and the NFL thanks but no thanks, Im headed to court. The Marino lawsuit may suggest that he is tired of waiting around for a payout from the proposed settlement and wants to take matters into his own hands. Whatever Marinos motivation, these concussion lawsuits are likely to continue for years. In the event a global settlement is approved by the Court, it seems likely that a number of players will opt out and file their own lawsuits. Indeed, there is still a lot of track to cover. Takkarist McKinley Jersey . Charlottetown scored four times in the third period en route to a 5-2 win over the defending champion Halifax Mooseheads on Friday. Calvin Ridley Youth Jersey . The Canadian Football Leagues all-time passing leader said he has not made a final decision, but he will discuss his future with Montreal Alouettes owner Bob Wetenhall on the weekend. http://www.thefaclonsshoponline.com/Chris-lindstrom-falcons-jersey/ . Meanwhile, the Jets extended their winning streak to four and remain perfect under Paul Maurice. Its the Jets second four-game winning streak of the season, the other coming in mid-November. KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. The lawsuit was filed in Jackson County Circuit Court on behalf of former players Leonard Griffin, Chris Martin, Joe Phillips, Alexander Louis Cooper and Kevin Porter, all of whom played on defence. It seeks more than $15,000 in actual and punitive damages. All five players have opted out of a multimillion-dollar settlement announced this summer that would compensate former players for their head injuries. The Kansas City plaintiffs claim to be suffering from post-concussion syndrome and latent brain disease because of multiple concussions they sustained while playing for the Chiefs. They all claim also to be suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which can only be definitively diagnosed by examining the brain after death. Martin, a Kansas City resident who played linebacker for the Chiefs from 1988 to 1993, said at a news conference he didnt know that continuing to play in games after sustaining a head injury would cause permanent damage. "I would have liked to have the opportunity to know that going back on the field would cause me to have severe disabilities later in life," he said. "I didnt know that. Thats what the lawsuit is about." Chiefs spokesman Ted Crews and NFL spokesman Greg Aiello both declined to comment on the suit. Hours after Martin talked about his brain injuries, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodells wife, Jane, and the wives of former NFL players Howie Long and Mike Golic led a discussion with hundreds of mothers about why they should let their children play football. As part of the safety clinic at the Chiefs training facility, roughly 200 women of all ages took part in drills designed to teach them proper tackling techniques. Nearly a dozen former Chiefs, including Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Bell, walked the giddy moms through the drills. Roger Goodell and Chiefs owner Clark Hunt also addressed the women, but did not bring up the lawsuit. They were not available to answer questions from the media. Plaintiffs attorney Ken McClain called the proposed $765 million settlement between the NFL and former players insignificant and said it provides compensation only to the former players with the most severe brain injuries. None of the five plaintiffs will get monetary compensation under that deal, he said. "All theyre going to be is monitored over time, but no relief will be offered to them," McClain said. "Its really a very small amount of money if you do the math. Its paid out over 20 years, its $765 million total. Its a little under $20 million a year the teams are contributing to these very severely injured people. Its not very much money." It wasnt known whether similar lawsuits might be filed in other states, given the nations patchwork workers compensation lawws. Brett Favre Jersey. McClain said Missouri presented a "unique opportunity" because a state workers comp statute was amended in 2005 to exclude cases of occupational injury that occur over an extended time. That exception more commonly applies in workplaces where smoking is allowed and workers suffer lung problems because of it. McClain also represented workers at a Jasper popcorn plant who were awarded millions of dollars in lawsuits claiming they got cancer because of a chemical in butter flavouring used at the plant. The lawsuit says the Chiefs ignored decades of research indicating that concussions cause long-term brain damage, instead referring to the injuries as "getting your bell rung" or a "ding." It accuses the team of lying to players in saying concussions are not serious injuries. "Every time I would get a head injury I would stay in or come to the side and get smelling salts and go back in," Martin said. "The pressure was there. If you were first team, you got all the reps." McClain said the notion that CTE can be diagnosed only through a post-mortem examination is outdated. "Thats an old position," he said. "Most of the neurologists weve been in discussion with believe most if not all professional football players do have CTE to some degree or another." Fellow plaintiffs attorney Dirk Vandever cited a recent UCLA study in which researchers said they were able to correlate some of the clinical problems they found and conclude they likely represent CTE. "After you see 19 out of 20 brains autopsied have CTE, as well as the ongoing widespread nature of the injury to players, doctors are fairly able to conclude players, based upon their symptomology, do or do not have the disease," Vandever said. In recent years, a string of former NFL players and other athletes who suffered concussions have been diagnosed after their deaths with CTE, including Junior Seau and Ray Easterling, who both committed suicide. In August, the NFL agreed to settle lawsuits filed by more than 4,500 former players who developed dementia or other concussion-related health problems they say were caused by playing football. The settlement, subject to approval by a federal judge in Philadelphia, would apply to all past NFL players and spouses of those who are deceased. Plaintiffs attorneys say individual payouts would be capped at $5 million for men with Alzheimers disease; $4 million for those diagnosed after their deaths with a brain condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy; and $3 million for players with dementia. About 19,000 retired players would be eligible to seek awards or medical testing, but current players are not part of the deal. The settlement does not include an admission from the NFL that it hid information from players about head injuries. At the time, the settlement announcement appeared to remove a major legal and financial threat hanging over the NFL. But if too many former players opt out, the deal could fall apart. ' ' '