In The New York Times, Professor Jodi Balsam Discusses How Professional Sports Leagues Handle Concussion Lawsuits

07/25/2018

Professor Jodi Balsam, a sports law expert and former in-house counsel at the National Football League, was quoted in a July 24 story in The New York Times about the differing approaches being used by professional sports leagues, particularly the NFL and the National Hockey League, in their handling of concussion lawsuits.

Balsam explained that public relations concerns and issues unique to the game of football drove the NFL’s legal strategy.

“The NFL’s litigation strategy was informed less by the law than by the public relations and existential threat that concussions posed uniquely to their sport,” she said.

The article compared the response of the NFL, which ultimately agreed to a settlement after a raft of negative publicity over its handling of concussions and head trauma, to that of the NHL, which to date has fought “tooth-and-nail” over similar issues.

At the Law School, Balsam teaches courses on Professional Responsibility and Sports Law. She also serves as director of the Law School’s Externship Program. Balsam is regularly quoted in the media on a broad range of issues such as legalized sports gambling, labor-management relations, wearable technology, and sports related controversies.