Jury Rules NCAA Not Liable For Death Of Former USC Linebacker Matthew Gee
Tuesday the case of Gee v. NCAA came to an end, when a jury ruled that the NCAA should not be held responsible for the death of Alana Gee’s late husband, former USC linebacker Matthew Gee. Alana’s lawsuit against the NCAA began back in October, in Los Angeles Superior Court.
In 2018, Matthew passed away at the age of forty-nine. After his death, Matthew was diagnosed with Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a progressive brain condition that’s believed to be caused by repeated blows to the head and repeated episodes of concussions. It’s particularly associated with contact sports, such as boxing or American football. Most of the available studies are based on the brains of former athletes.
Alana accused the NCAA of being responsible for her husband’s death. She was seeking $1.8 million in damages, in addition to advocating for the NCAA to return the funds it has generated as a result of its alleged negligence. The NCAA denied all allegations, arguing that Matthew Gee’s death was a direct result of previous medical issues and not his injuries incurred while playing football.
The jury based its ruling on the question of whether or not the NCAA had unreasonably increased the risks to Gee and then failed to minimize those risks. A majority of the jury answered no to both questions, and a ruling was reached soon after. As a result, Alana Gee will not be awarded any of the money she was suing for.
The NCAA issued a statement following the verdict.
“The NCAA bore no responsibility for Mr. Gee’s tragic death, and furthermore, the case was not supported by medical science linking Mr. Gee’s death to his college football career.”
Front Office Sports has more HERE.
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