A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Pop Warner, the nation’s largest youth football league, claiming that the organization knowingly put players in danger by ignoring the risks of head trauma. The suit is the biggest sign yet that youth football programs are the next front in the legal battle over concussions.
Unlike other cases that have centered only on football leagues, the complaint also accuses USA Football, the youth football arm of the N.F.L., and the group that creates football helmet safety standards, of failing to protect young players from the dangers of brain trauma and the long-term consequences of repeated head hits, and ignoring medical research that underscores the dangers of playing football.