Former University of Pittsburgh football player Craig Bokor was as shocked as former coaches at his alma mater when he was listed as a plaintiff early last month in a concussion lawsuit against Pitt.
Yes, he was interviewed by the attorneys who brought the suit. But Bokor, a defensive lineman at the school from 2005-09, claimed he never consented to being a party.
“There was never any idea of a lawsuit getting filed,” he told the media. “We had no clue it was going to come to that. It wasn’t anything we agreed to or wanted to happen.”
Joining Bokor in the lawsuit was former Pitt wide receiver Joseph DelSardo, who also withdrew his complaint. The plaintiffs were represented by Napoli Shkolnik, in federal court in Pittsburgh.
Bokor, reportedly, reached out to the firm that filed after he learned of it, but was allegedly told that the statute of limitations on his claim was running out, which is why he was added. The player further added that the lawsuit suggested he was suffering from migraines, anxiety, and memory loss, attributable to the concussions. Bokor said he has none of those symptoms.
In the original lawsuit, the would-be plaintiffs named the university and the NCAA as well as the Big East and Atlantic Coast conferences. The claimed, as most of the previous suits have, that the defendants were aware of the risks, but did not adequately protect the plaintiffs. Specifically, they alleged claims of negligence, fraudulent concealment, breach of contract and unjust enrichment.
“The NCAA was created to protect the students that participate in various college sports, including football. Despite its alleged purpose, the NCAA has failed to take reasonable actions to protect players from the chronic risks created by such injuries and fraudulently concealed those risks from players,” according to the complaint.
