Ex-Players Sue NFL on Brain Damage More than 2,000 former NFL players filed a lawsuit this morning in Philadelphia, accusing the league of concealing information linking football-related injuries to long-term brain damage. The NFL denies the claims, saying, "Any allegation that the NFL intentionally sought to mislead players has no merit. Art Monk, Jim McMahon and Mark Rypien are among the players suing not only the NFL but the entire professional football culture. Attorneys say that even helmet maker Riddell has "a role in this." And former players say even NFL Films "glorifies football's violence." "We knew there was going to be a chance for injury," McMahon, who led the Chicago Bears to a 1985 Super Bowl victory, told ESPN. We didn't know about the head trauma and they [the NFL] did. That's the whole reason for the lawsuit. "I thought I just turned into a loser overnight and couldn't figure out what was wrong," he said on a conference call with reporters. "I want to see the game of football prosper," he said. It makes me proud to know the NFL is the No. 1 sport in America, but there's a safer way of doing it. Concussions have become football's No. 1 issue with several of the sport's biggest names suspected of killing themselves because of brain damage. Easterling's wife, Mary Ann Easterling, described home life as "chaotic" and a "constant sea of change" as she said the former Falcon suffered from insomnia and depression. He killed himself in April. Mary Ann Easterling blamed her husband's dementia on "improperly managed" head injuries he'd suffered during his eight years in the NFL. NFL Lawsuit It replaced the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee, formed in 1994, which today's lawsuit alleges generated false findings rather than actually studying the issue of concussions. "Will our love of football really last," columnist Brennan said, "or will we be so horrified by the turn of events that we might find the nation gravitating away from the NFL?" Mary Ann Easterling said she wanted the families of football players to be more informed and the league take a bigger role in helping athletes. "What I want to see is that the information would be out there, more widely disseminated so families won't be in the dark about the symptoms they're seeing," she said. I'd also like to see the NFL take care of the players that do have symptoms or could possibly have symptoms.