Dec. 04--The Illinois High School Association made its first extended comments Wednesday on a lawsuit that claims the group's concussion protocols are inadequate, saying that coaches and doctors, not lawyers, should be in charge of making sports safer.
"While this lawsuit alleges that it exists to help aid in that matter, simply put, high school football should not be subject to being dismantled or reassembled," the IHSA said in a statement emailed to reporters. "Those who oversee safety measures on a day-to-day basis are the people best equipped to address these improvements, not those operating within the courts."
It also hinted that the litigation, if successful, could create expenses and liability concerns so drastic that the existence of high school sports would be in jeopardy.
"A lawsuit's attempt to lump all levels of football together has far-reaching implications, potential repercussions that threaten the future of all high school sports for the millions of students around the country who annually benefit from their participation experience," the group said.
The IHSA said it will hold a news conference Friday morning to address the litigation in more detail.
Former Notre Dame College Prep quarterback Daniel Bukal filed the lawsuit Saturday, claiming that he sustained multiple concussions during games and practices, and that he still suffers from lightheadedness, memory loss and migraines related to the injury.
Though the IHSA has made several concussion-related changes to its safety policies in recent years, Bukal's attorney, Joe Siprut, said it has failed to keep up with best practices in the sports world. The IHSA doesn't have protocols to protect football players who suffer concussions during practice, he said, and has no system in place to report and track concussions.
The lawsuit seeks numerous changes to IHSA rules, including a requirement that medical personnel be on call during football practices. It also seeks "medical monitoring" for everyone who played high school football from 2002 onward -- essentially, free testing to determine whether a person's physical or psychological problems could be related to a concussion suffered on the field.
jkeilman@tribune.com
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