MILWAUKEE, June 6 (UPI) -- The estate of a former NFL player and coach says it has sued the football league for hiding what it knew about the health risks from repeated concussions.
Lew Carpenter, who was an assistant coach with several teams after playing with the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers, died in 2010 from an advanced case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
The suit, filed by Carpenter's ex-wife who is the representative of the estate, blames the NFL for "acts and omissions" in covering up the truth about brain injuries that can be incurred playing professional football, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Thursday.
The 80-page suit filed in Milwaukee federal court charges the league with wrongful death, negligent misrepresentation and civil conspiracy/fraudulent concealment, among other things.
Carpenter and his wife divorced in 1996 in part because of behavior problems brought on by his brain condition, the Journal Sentinel said.
The NFL is seeking dismissals of thousands of suits filed by former players who allege the league failed to inform them about the dangers of repeated head trauma.
