NRL facing concussion class action lawsuit | NRL News

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – JULY 28: Fa’amanu Brown of Sharks is undressed on a stretcher during the Round 21 NRL game between the New Zealand Warriors and the Cronulla Sharks at Mt Smart Stadium on July 28, 2017 in Auckland, New Zealand? . (Photo by Hannah Peters / Getty Images)

Following the NRL’s crackdown on head-to-head contact this season, the league itself could face sanctions if Sydney businessman Barry Tilley gets his way.

According to a report filed by Paul Kent on the Daily Telegraph on Saturday, Tilley is looking for former players who have suffered a concussion during their careers to take on “Town Hall”.

Tilley’s prospective class action lawsuit was developed as a way for those crippled by a concussion to collectively sue the NRL.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 20: Sam Burgess of the Rabbitohs is carried off the field after an injury during the third NRL game between the St George Dragons and the South Sydney Rabbitohs at the Sydney Cricket Ground on March 20, 2016 in Sydney, Australia . (Photo by Cameron Spencer / Getty Images)

Though the wheels are reportedly on the move, the prominent property developer who will speak for the Mitry attorneys claims more gamers need to join the cause for the lawsuit to have lasting effects.

“We need 50 people,” Tilley said to Kent.

Despite the crackdown on tackles and over-the-shoulder shots mentioned above, Tilley firmly believed that the moves must be viewed as too few and too late by the game’s governing body.

“They don’t have decent rules to protect the people who play it,” he said.

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Kent countered that point in his article by saying that head-to-head hitting has been illegal throughout the code’s history and that players have always been aware of the risks involved in entering the field.

The writer also reported that an anonymous former player claimed that many players who had a concussion long after their cleats were hung up could not make up their minds to join Tilley’s crusade.

“Some just can’t bring it up with them,” the source said.

“They love their club.”

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Regardless of this snub to a fleet of former first graders, Mitry attorney spokesman and partner Rick Mitry stated that many others were interested in joining the lawsuit.

“There were about 15 people who talked to me about it and I gave them the position and I was right with them,” he said.

While Kent cited possibly outdated pride as the reason many turned their backs on the class action lawsuit, Mitry stated that it was often their loved ones who contacted him instead.

“A lot of people worry about the media,” said the lawyer.

“I’m not going to leave them up and dry.”

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Kent also stated that while the “bowl” of the class action lawsuit was unaware, the NRL had reportedly been preparing for a case of this magnitude for some time.

The NRL 360 host brought up the fact that America’s National Football League recently had to pay $ 1 billion to its former players due to similar circumstances.

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However, Kent also pointed out the differences in protocol and the legal tact of the attorneys who represent the collective of former Gridiron players.

The veteran journalist also cited the fact that the Mitry and Tilley case could be difficult to prove collectively due to a variety of different factors that can lead to dimentia – such as alcohol consumption and genetic predisposition.

Because of this, Kent stated that it is the NRL’s desire for players to present their case individually to determine each case according to its own permissions.

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