Fans are eagerly waiting for the mouthwatering Super Bowl showdown on Sunday. But the NFL has landed in a legal soup just days before the biggest event of the season. Ten former players have sued the cash-rich league for a very disturbing reason. And NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is also a part of the lawsuit.

The lawsuit comes at a very bad time for the league as it threatens to take the limelight during the Super Bowl weekend. But what is the basis of the lawsuit?

NFL players sue Roger Goodell 

A group of ten former NFL players has filed a lawsuit against the league and its commissioner Roger Goodell. The lawsuit alleges that the league has wrongfully denied player disability claims. They have also alleged that the NFL has shown a disturbing pattern of ‘erroneous and arbitrary benefits denials, bad faith contract misinterpretations, and other unscrupulous tactics,’ the Washington Post reported.

Former running backs, Willis McGahee of the Buffalo Bills and Eric Smith of the New York Jets, are leading the group of petitioners. The group also includes players like Jason Alford, Daniel Loper, Michael Mckenzie, Jamize Olawale, Alex Parsons, Charles Sims, Joey Thomas, and Lance Zeno. They filed the lawsuit in the US District Court in Baltimore, the site of the NFL Benefits Plan office.

“Once we stop playing, we’re all used up. We deserve to be taken care of,“ McGahee told the Post. According to the lawsuit, the players have demanded the removal of the planning board along with financial compensation to the players. And it comes at the end of the season that has renewed the debate on player safety.

The season marred with horrific injuries 

Fans will remember the 2022 season due to some horrific on-field incidents that sparked a new debate on player safety. Two incidents especially come to mind that threatened to derail the season.

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The Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa suffered a horrific concussion early in the season. He does not remember what happened that fateful day as the medics carted him off the field. He came back a few weeks later after getting through the concussion protocol.

Then towards the end of the season, Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after a tackle. He remained in the hospital for several days and is now recovering at home. Both these incidents shook the entire NFL community. This lawsuit is not a good PR for the league just before Super Bowl LVII.

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