Former Notre Dame Cornerback, Gary Gray, Files Lawsuit Against Notre Dame And NCAA

Former Notre Dame cornerback Gary Gray, a student at Notre Dame from 2007-2011, is part of a class action lawsuit that now includes 43 players from across the country. Gray and the other players are filing suit due to repetitive head injuries sustained while playing football for their respective school while never receiving the proper medical care for such injuries.

Here is a statement from the PR firm handling Edelson PC’s clients:

This week, leading national plaintiffs’ law firm Edelson PC filed its fifth wave of federal lawsuits on behalf of former football players suffering from lasting effects of concussions sustained during their college careers. The firm has now filed 43 such suits since May. This round (the largest, with 18 new suits filed Monday and Tuesday) includes one filed late yesterday on behalf of former Notre Dame player Gary Gray and others similarly impacted against the NCAA. (Please see complaint, attached.) On Monday, the firm filed a suit on behalf of Ball State University player Geoff Donner (that complaint is also attached).

The former players bringing this new round of lawsuits played for the following schools:

1. Ball State

2. University of Memphis

3. Florida A&M

4. Eastern Michigan

5. Rutgers

6. University of Mississippi

7. University of Alabama

8. Syracuse

9. Georgia Tech

10. Notre Dame

11. University of Idaho

12. University of Richmond

13. University of Maryland

14. University of South Carolina

15. University of Pittsburgh

16. UCLA

17. University of Iowa

18. Texas A&M

I spoke with Chris Dore, an attorney with Edelson PC. He was insistent that the lack of plicy by both the NCAA and Notre Dame led Gray to receive repetitive head injuries during his time there. Mr. Dore pointed out that the NCAA was created to protect the student-athlete and has failed to do so on a wide scale.

Dore also claims that these players are “kids” that were too young to know any better regarding their health and that they were entrusted to the Universities to protect and look out for them by the parents.

Most of the players in the lawsuit have not not played in the NFL, with a small number that have played in the league but were unable to continue due to their injuries.

via Edelman PC

Gray’s entire 34 page complaint can be read HERE.

The case will be heard in federal court in Chicago. There is no dollar amount attached to the suit.

Gray is suing both the NCAA and Notre Dame. The other players that played for public state schools are suing the conference affiliated with the school (i.e. UCLA player is suing Pac-12) and the NCAA. Since Notre Dame is both an Independent in football and a private school, the University is under this lawsuit.

Possible witnesses could include any member of the staffs of Charlie Weis and Brian Kelly- including both Weis and Kelly.