The NHL said that players who were forced to retire early because of concussions and other head injuries "ought to have been able to 'put two and two together,' thanks to a number of newspaper and magazine stories and other news reports," according to court documents cited by Rick Westhead of TSN.ca. The league wrote in the Minnesota federal court filings, "Publicly available information related to concussions and their long-term effects, coupled with the events that had transpired -- i.e., the players incurring head injuries -- should have allowed (players) to put two and two together." The league also said that it "should not be required to pay for medical monitoring of former players who say they have symptoms of long-term brain injuries." The league's filings stated that the court "should dismiss the case because it's taken too long for players to file their complaints," and that the players "have not done enough to support their charge that the league purposefully withheld information from players about the risk and long-term effects of brain trauma." The league added that it "shouldn't have to pay for medical monitoring for players because those who have asked for it all live in U.S. states that prevent so-called stand-alone claims for medical monitoring." The NHL's filings asserted that the claim "should be dismissed because health and safety issues fall under the purview" of the league's CBA with the NHLPA (TSN.ca, 11/20).
