Pro Football Hall of Famer Paul Hornung, who spent his entire career with the Green Bay Packers, is suing helmet maker Riddell Inc., according to Associated Press, alleging that the helmets he wore his his career did not protect him from brain injury.
Hornung, 80, filed the civil lawsuit on Thursday. It’s unclear how much Hornung is seeking in damages.
According to the lawsuit, Hornung is suffering from dementia. He incurred multiple concussions in his career as a do-it-all player for the Packers, mostly as a running back.
A Riddell spokesman declined comment, saying, “It’s our policy not to comment on pending litigation.”
Riddell, which started making football helmets out of plastic in 1939, makes helmets for all levels of football, from Pop Warner to the NFL.
The former Notre Dame star nicknamed “Golden Boy” was the Heisman Trophy winner in 1956 and was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft the following year. Hornung spent nine seasons with the Packers from 1957 to 1966 (missing the 1963 season due to a gambling suspension), winning the league’s MVP in 1961 and winning four championships with Green Bay — in ’61, ’62, ’65 and ’66.
Although much of the light has been shed on the link between repeated head trauma, concussions and neurodegenerative diseases in recent years, the lawsuit alleges that Riddell knew enough in the 1950s and ’60s to have warned players about concerns back then.
“Studies dating back to the 19th century linked head trauma to permanent brain damage, but Riddell failed to communicate the danger to Mr. Hornung,” attorney William T. Gibbs said in a written statement.
Although many players of Hornung’s era have suffered serious issues that could be connected to head trauma suffered in the NFL, lawsuits from those players are uncommon.
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