Former Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Doug Brenner alleges in a lawsuit filed against the NCAA that he sustained lifelong injuries during several controversial workouts in 2017.
The NCAA, school, former Ducks coach Willie Taggart and former strength and conditioning coach Irele Oderinde are all named as defendants in the lawsuit. The trial begins Tuesday.
The amended lawsuit, filed on March 24 in Oregon state circuit court and obtained by USA TODAY Sports on Monday, seeks $100 million in punitive damages from the NCAA and $25.5 million in total damages from all defendants.
“For decades, the NCAA has refused to outlaw these remarkably dangerous workout drills – drills designed for punishment rather than conditioning,” Greg Kafoury, one of Brenner’s lawyers, told USA TODAY Sports. “They have refused to do so out of concern for their own organization’s interests, rather than the safety of young athletes. We seek a punitive damage award large enough to force them to change their mind.”
NCAA president Mark Emmert and chief medical officer Brian Hailine provided depositions during the discovery phase of the case, according to court documents. ESPN obtained a transcript of Emmert’s deposition.
“I’ve never talked to a president that they think that the responsibility is of a sport association to tell them how their medical professionals and training professionals should behave on campus,” Emmert said. “Rather the association’s role is to provide them with guidance and advice and understanding of where the best science is and medical advice is, but not to police their local behavior. That’s not been a role that the association in 115 years has ever deemed was the appropriate thing for an athletic association to do.”
The NCAA declined to comment when contacted by USA TODAY…