Here are five things to know:
1. Mr. Silk accused Bowling Green State University’s staff in a lawsuit of not pulling him from practice right away after he suffered multiple concussions that led to a permanent brain injury.
2. Mr. Silk had three concussions in the fall of 2010 before he was permanently pulled from practice. On separate days that fall, Mr. Silk said he could not remember his name or where he had parked his car. He also said he suffered from severe head pain and had been taken out of some practices but returned without going through proper treatment.
3. Robert C. Cantu, MD, co-director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University School of Medicine, evaluated Mr. Silk and said in a deposition that he likely suffered permanent post-concussion syndrome because he lacked proper treatment. However, Michael W. Collins, PhD, director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Sports Medicine Concussion Program, found Mr. Silk had exaggerated his symptoms and deliberately did poorly on cognitive function tests.
4. After he was no longer allowed to be on the team, Mr. Silk dropped out of school because of concussion symptoms and lost his scholarship. He continues to suffer from depression, migraine headaches, anxiety and sleeping difficulties, according to the lawsuit.
5. The university initially stated Mr. Silk signed a liability release to play football and assumed the risks from participating. The university decided to settle the suit because of the uncertainty and risks of a trial. In the settlement finalized this week, Mr. Silk agreed not to bring further legal action against the university.
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