Former USC Football Player Sues NCAA Over Head Injuries

COLUMBIA Former South Carolina defensive lineman Stanley Doughty has filed a lawsuit against the NCAA alleging the governing body for college sports failed to protect college football players, according to court documents.

Doughty is the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit that was filed Tuesday in the Columbia division of U.S. District Court. The suit requests medical monitoring for the lifelong risks of brain injury suffered while playing college football.

The NCAA has breached its duty to protect college football players in the face of long-standing and overwhelming evidence regarding the need to do so, the lawsuit reads. The NCAA has ignored this duty and profited immensely from its inaction and denial, all to the detriment of the players.

Doughty played at South Carolina from 2003-06. He spent one season in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2007, but his career was cut short.

Doughty alleges repeated traumatic head impacts at South Carolina prematurely ended his professional career, according to the lawsuit. In 2004, Doughty collided with a teammate in practice and experienced temporary paralysis and a persistent tingling sensation in his arms and neck. The next season, in a game at Tennessee, Doughty collided with running back Arian Foster and was momentarily unable to move, according to the lawsuit.

Along with failure to protect college football players, Doughty s lawsuit also alleges the NCAA failed to educate its football-playing athletes of the long-term, life-altering risks and consequences of head impacts in football and its conduct constitutes negligence and reckless endangerment.

Such relief should have been provided by the NCAA decades ago to its players, but even today it is sorely needed for former players, the lawsuit reads.

The NCAA has not responded to the suit.