• Loading stock data...
Thursday, September 18, 2025

NCAA’s Witness In Gee Trial Denies That Football Causes CTE

  • Former NCAA medical committee chair and UCLA team doctor James Puffer said the evidence is not “irrefutable.”
  • His testimony defies the view of multiple experts, medical organizations, and even the NFL.
NCAA
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

During the Gee v. NCAA wrongful death trial, former NCAA medical committee member and UCLA team doctor James Puffer denied that playing football causes CTE. 

“We don’t know with certainty at the present time that playing intercollegiate football irrefutably results in you developing CTE, or that playing intercollegiate football can lead to neurodegenerative disease,” Puffer, who was brought in as a witness for the NCAA, told the jury.

Puffer, who currently serves as the UCLA team doctor for men’s water polo, continued by saying there is not “an overwhelming amount of evidence that would suggest that there was a high likelihood” of football players developing CTE. As a result, he said he does not believe NCAA or school officials need to warn players of the risk of developing CTE.

Puffer’s testimony was part of the trial centering 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 trial began on Oct. 21 in Los Angeles Superior Court.

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

The NCAA was aware of these dangers, but took years to act.
October 31, 2022

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.

Puffer’s testimony was diametrically opposed to that of multiple other expert witnesses brought by plaintiffs, including NFL senior advisor and decorated CTE expert Dr. Robert Cantu. It opposes the view of the NFL, as well as multiple medical bodies including the United States National Institutes of Health.

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.

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

UCLA and Virginia Tech fire their coaches while Notre Dame slumps badly.
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.

House Republicans Delay SCORE Act Vote Tentatively Planned for Next Week

They didn’t believe they had enough votes to pass the bill.
Jan 25, 2023; Langley, British Columbia, CAN; Highlights from the CHL Kubota Top Prospects game at the Langley Events Centre

NCAA Hockey Scouts Denied Passes for Crucial Recruiting League

The CHL won’t welcome scouts on passes: “It comes across as petty.”

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.
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; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) looks to pass during the first quarter against the New Mexico Lobos at Rose Bowl.
September 15, 2025

UCLA-Tennessee QB Trade Has Been Painful So Far

Iamaleava abruptly left Tennessee for UCLA this past offseason.
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.
September 15, 2025

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.
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.