Tracy Scroggins, Former DE, Files Lawsuit Against NFL Regarding CTE

Longtime NFL defensive end Tracy Scroggins filed a class-action lawsuit against the league recently in relation to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and its link to playing football.  

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on March 29, the former Detroit Lion proposed the lawsuit be made up of current and former players who have been "preliminary [sic] diagnosed with [CTE]."

Per Florio, Scroggins' lawsuit alleges that NFL players were encouraged to do things on the field that left them at risk to head injuries, specifically from the 1970s through the 1990s, as they were "coached, trained and motivated to use all portions of their helmets to block, tackle, butt, spear, ram and/or injure opposing players by hitting their helmeted heads...despite the [NFL's] awareness that this practice was causing an increased risk in repeated head trauma."

On Friday, A.J. Perez of USA Today revealed additional plaintiffs: 

"

The widow of former Oakland Raiders quarterback Kenny Stabler was among those who joined a civil racketeering lawsuit against the National Football League, according to documents filed in federal court early Friday morning.

The amended complaint submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida lists former NFL players Tracy Scroggins, Quinn Gray and Danny Gorrer along with Rose Stabler as plaintiffs. The filing comes a week after Scoggins filed a lawsuit that sought relief under the civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

"

The NFL's vice president of communications Brian McCarthy provided a statement to Pro Football Talk at the time on the lawsuit, per Florio:

"

The complaint is barred by the concussion litigation settlement and we expect it to be dismissed. Mr. Scroggins is a member of the settlement class and did not choose to opt out. He is eligible to pursue the benefits provided under the settlement agreement, but may not pursue any action in court, either on his own behalf or on behalf of other former players, more than 99 percent of whom have accepted the settlement.

"

The lawsuit comes on the heels of NFL vice president of health and safety Jeff Miller's admission before the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce that a link exists between playing football and CTE, according to ESPN.com's Steve Fainaru.

Also, an investigative piece by Alan Schwarz, Walt Bogdanich and Jacqueline Williams of the New York Times found that the NFL left a significant amount of concussion data out of its research from 1996 through 2001, which was another driving force behind Scroggins' lawsuit, per Florio.

Scroggins played for the Lions from 1992 to 2001 after being selected in the second round of the 1992 NFL draft out of Tulsa. He registered 60.5 sacks over the course of his career and was a key part of five Lions playoff teams throughout the 1990s.

The NFL has been under fire for its past handling of concussions in recent years and was ordered to pay at least $900 million as part of a settlement with former players in 2015.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.