The State of Iowa has agreed to pay a former University of Northern Iowa football player $150,000 in the wake of “significant” injuries he suffered during a research study.
Philip H. Arendt sued the state in September 2019, claiming that the head injuries that he suffered when he was asked to participate in a graduate study program prematurely ended his football career.
Arendt, who red-shirted for UNI in 2015 and played in two games in 2016, was participating in a March 2017 study that examined the correlation between weightlifting and on-field technique. He never played football again.
“During his participation, Arendt became dizzy from overexertion, fell, and hit his head, resulting in significant injuries,” according to the complaint. “As a result of the injuries, Arendt is no longer able to participate in football and continues to suffer from post-traumatic headaches and other symptoms.” He alleged in the lawsuit that the researchers were “negligent in failing to incorporate appropriate safety protocols and should have known of the unsafe conditions in which research was being performed.”
The lawsuit allegedly left Arendt with past, present, and future medical costs; pain and suffering; emotional distress; loss of body function; and loss of earnings.
