• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Trial Reveals NCAA Knew About Head Injury Risks As Early As 1930s

  • Evidence suggests the NCAA was aware of head injury danger as early as the 1930s.
  • However, it didn’t implement its first concussion guidelines until 1994.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Evidence presented during the Gee v. NCAA trial suggests the NCAA was well aware of the dangers of head injuries as early as the 1930s — but failed to act until the mid-1990s.

The trial, which began on Oct. 21 in Los Angeles Superior Court, centers around the death of former USC linebacker Matt Gee, who played between 1988-92. Gee died at the age of 49 and was posthumously diagnosed with CTE. His widow, Alana Gee, is suing the NCAA for wrongful death, claiming it is responsible.

The case will yield the first ruling on the NCAA’s culpability for brain injuries. If the NCAA loses, it could owe hundreds of millions in damages and face a deluge of future lawsuits.

The NCAA claimed that there was no consensus in the scientific community surrounding head injuries by Matthew Gee’s freshman season. But plaintiff witnesses contended that not only was there significant medical literature, but also that the NCAA’s own documents expressed concern and knowledge of concussions.

Most of this testimony relied on research conducted by medical historian Stephen Casper, who presented a damning paper trail. 

Trial Data Suggests The NCAA Failed to Invest in Health and Safety

The NCAA spent less than 1% of earnings on a medical committee.
October 28, 2022

His story began in 1906, when president Teddy Roosevelt organized the NCAA for the express purpose of making college football safer. 

  • By 1933, an NCAA Sports Injuries Handbook detailed “punch-drunk syndrome,” or how athletes acted after suffering blows to the head, and included guidelines for treating concussions.
  • A 1968 copy of the “NCAA News” explained to schools that an athlete who had suffered a severe concussion should never play football again.
  • In 1982, the NCAA began collecting data for head injuries, measuring three degrees of concussions.
  • A 1985 copy of the “NCAA News” said a junior college football player died after suffering two successive concussions in one game. As a result, the NCAA committee said it would develop guidelines for return-to-play.

But the governing body didn’t release its first concussion protocol until 1994. Those were merely guidelines, however. They weren’t mandatory.

The NCAA didn’t implement a mandatory protocol until 2010, which stated schools must have a plan to monitor and treat concussions. To this day, it does not specify what those protocols should entail. 

Even these flimsy rules did not exist until after Matt Gee graduated from USC.

Editor’s Note: Reporting of Gee v. NCAA was assisted by Courtroom View Network, which provided a livestream of the trial.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

CFB TV Ratings Stay Hot As Georgia-Tennessee Sets ABC High of 12.6M

ABC has had four games that have topped 10 million viewers this season.
Sep 13, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back AK Dear (0) tries to outrun Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Ricardo Hallman (2) during the second half at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Despite Vote Delay, SCORE Act Negotiations Continue on Capitol Hill

Political ad campaigns during college football Saturdays continue as well.
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; New Mexico Lobos quarterback Jack Layne (2) reacts after his team scored a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl.

UCLA Paid New Mexico $1.2 Million for Friday’s Loss: Payout Game Tracker

The Bruins weren’t the only Power-4 school to lose a buy game and fire their coach.
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) looks to pass during the first quarter against the New Mexico Lobos at Rose Bowl.

UCLA-Tennessee QB Trade Has Been Painful So Far

Iamaleava abruptly left Tennessee for UCLA this past offseason.

Featured Today

Premier Lacrosse League

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
September 13, 2025

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.

College Football’s Costly Start for Virginia Tech, UCLA: Coaches Out

UCLA and Virginia Tech fire their coaches while Notre Dame slumps badly.
Jan 25, 2023; Langley, British Columbia, CAN; Highlights from the CHL Kubota Top Prospects game at the Langley Events Centre
September 10, 2025

NCAA Hockey Scouts Denied Passes for Crucial Recruiting League

The CHL won’t welcome scouts on passes: “It comes across as petty.”
Mar 4, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks with Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., ahead of President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025.
September 11, 2025

House Republicans Delay SCORE Act Vote Tentatively Planned for Next Week

They didn’t believe they had enough votes to pass the bill.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
Feb 17, 2024; Boise, Idaho, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs guard Jalen Weaver (5) during the first half against the Boise State Broncos at ExtraMile Arena.
September 10, 2025

NCAA Bans 3 Basketball Players for Violating Betting Rules Last Season

The former San Jose State and Fresno State players have lost eligibility.
NFL Congress
exclusive
September 10, 2025

College Sports ‘House of Cards’: Republicans, Lobbyists Work to Secure Votes to..

Several House Republicans criticized the SCORE Act on social media.
The cover of the College Football 25 video game.
exclusive
September 9, 2025

Group That Facilitated NIL Deal for Football Video Game Now Says It’s..

EA offered $1,500 and no royalties; it also deleted an opt-out clause.
Sep 6, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; South Florida Bulls place kicker Nico Gramatica (7), South Florida Bulls long snapper Turner McLaughlin (48) and teammates celebrate after a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
September 8, 2025

USF Is the Newest Financial Underdog in the AP Top 25

USF’s athletic department brings in half the amount Florida does.