positive influence since he was signed last offsea

CHICAGO -- Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Heisman Trophy winner Paul Hornung sued equipment manufacturer Riddell Inc. on Thursday, saying football helmets that he wore during his professional career in the 1950s and 60s failed to protect him from brain injury.Attorneys for the 80-year-old Hornung filed the civil lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago, naming the Rosemont-based company as the defendant. It seeks unspecified damages.Hornung suffered multiple concussions as a running back for the Green Bay Packers and has been diagnosed with dementia, the lawsuit says. It said that the neurodegenerative disease has been linked to repetitive head trauma.Concussion lawsuits from athletes have become more common in recent years amid growing awareness about the long-term consequences of repeated blows to the head and Riddell is also fighting litigation elsewhere. But suits from athletes whose playing days were as far back as the 1950s are rare.Riddell began producing helmets out of plastic in 1939, touting them as safer alternatives to ones -- more common at the time -- fashioned from leather, according to the eight-page filing. Hornung, it says, wore a leather helmet when he played for Notre Dame in college but switched to the Riddell-made plastic helmets in the NFL.Erin Griffin, a spokeswoman for Riddell, declined comment in an email, saying, Its our policy not to comment on pending litigation.Hornung won the Heisman in 1956 while at Notre Dame, where he played quarterback. The Packers selected him as the No. 1 overall draft pick a year later. He was the NFL MVP in 1962 and he played on four championship teams (1961, `62, `65 and `66).One of Hornungs lawyers said Riddell knew enough about the perils of concussions more than five decades ago to warn players.Studies dating back to the 19th century linked head trauma to permanent brain damage, but Riddell failed to communicate the danger to Mr. Hornung, the attorney, William T. Gibbs, said in a written statement.Hornungs wife, Angela Hornung, is also named as a plaintiff in the suit, which says she suffered and will continue to suffer the loss of her husbands affection and companionship as a result of his injuries.Riddell has successfully fought some litigation. A Los Angeles jury in 2014 found that Riddell wasnt liable for the severe brain injury of a high school football player who suffered a helmet-to-helmet hit during a game.Riddell, which provides helmets to every level of football -- from the pros to Pop Warner -- has said publicly previously that it has devoted enormous resources to developing equipment that can reduce the risk of a devastating head injury.---Follow Michael Tarm on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mtarm Nike Air Max Canada Sale . Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. Air Max Deluxe Canada . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field. http://www.clearanceairmaxcanada.com/air-max-tailwind-canada-sale.html .com) - The women will also have a new champion at the Australian Open. Air Max 90 Canada Sale . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference. Air Max 270 Mens Canada .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at Boston Strong - a citys recovery from tragedy. Detroit Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson hopes to build off his season debut. His counterpart on Tuesday gets a chance to make amends after yet another disciplinary issue.Jackson posted 18 points and four assists in 23 minutes after missing the teams first 21 games with left knee tendinitis. That didnt prevent the Pistons from seeing their three-game winning streak snapped, as they were defeated 98-92 by the Orlando Magic in Detroit on Sunday.Jackson also committed three turnovers, missed a couple of layups and got beaten off the dribble a few times. Hell be in the starting lineup once again when Detroit plays the Chicago Bulls at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Tuesday night. Jackson averaged 23.5 points and 7.5 assists last season against the Bulls as the Pistons won the season series, 3-1.Its going to take some time to get acclimated with my teammates again, but (the knee) felt good, Jackson said. I just wished we came out with a win. I felt like I was behind others in game shape and little aspects like that. I think in defensive coverage and rotations, I was a little rusty, and then just finding guys a little bit quicker. But offensively, I felt pretty good.Jackson will be matched up against Rajon Rondo, who did not play in the Bulls 112-110 home loss to Portland on Monday night. Rondo was suspended for one game for conduct detrimental to the team, reportedly for a verbal altercation with assistant coach Jim Boylan.Rondo, who served his seventh suspension since 2012, apologized for his actions and coach Fred Hoiberg said there are no hard feeelings.ddddddddddddRajon, as weve all said, has been great, Hoiberg told the Chicago Tribune. A great teammate. Ive enjoyed the relationship that weve developed, and ... its not going to change moving forward.Swingman Jimmy Butler said Rondo has been a positive influence since he was signed last offseason.These things happen; and, when things happen, you handle it the way youre supposed to handle it, Butler told the Tribune. I think we all love Rondo. I know I do. Hes been a great mentor to me; hes made me a much better basketball player.Butler, who scored 28 points against the Trail Blazers, averaged 27.5 points against Detroit last season. This is the first of four meetings between the Central Division rivals.The Bulls (11-9) need to tighten up their defense after a poor performance. They allowed Portland to shoot 48.4 percent, offsetting a 34-point outing by Dwyane Wade.Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy is concerned about his teams inconsistent defense, which he feels has led to a mediocre start. Detroit is sitting at .500 with an 11-11 record.If were going to be an every-other-night type team that brings a defensive effort every other night, then we are going to be up and down, Van Gundy said. We cant rely on going out and shooting 50 percent from 3-point range. We shot 37 percent (Sunday). That is certainly good enough. If we can keep doing that, we will be fine. But we didnt bring anything to the table defensively. ' ' '