Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers is suing the National Football League and helmet maker Riddell claiming their failure to prevent repeated head injuries which caused him to suffer brain damage.
In the lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Sayers, who played for the Chicago Bears from 1965 to 1972, claims he suffers headaches, occasional short-term memory loss and other cognitive deficits. He says the affliction is caused by chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
A spokesman for the NFL did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Rosemont, Ill.-based Riddell declined to comment.
Last month, in a deal with the players association, the NFL agreed to pay more than three-quarters of a billion dollars to settle lawsuits from thousands of former players who developed concussion-related health problems.
