Ruling: Former Vikings lineman Noga won't get workers' comp for head injuries
Updated 4:13 p.m. | Posted 11:20 a.m.
Former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Al Noga won’t qualify for workers’ compensation benefits relating long-term health problems from head injuries, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.
The court ruled that too much time has passed between Noga’s playing-days injuries and his bid for compensation. Noga played defensive end for the Vikings for four seasons ending in 1992.
He was known for head-first tackling, which the NFL allowed back then. Noga testified he would often keep playing despite feeling woozy. He said team staff told him to take over-the-counter medication to quell the pain.
Noga now suffers from dementia and wanted the Vikings to compensate him. His claim was initially validated, and a special workers’ compensation appeals court upheld it.
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But the state’s highest court said the statute of limitations should have applied and found Noga ineligible for benefits.
Writing for the court, Justice Natalie Hudson said there was nothing in the record to suggest the Vikings should have known Noga was at risk of developing dementia when they treated him for various injuries.
“Noga played for the Vikings from 1988 to 1992, but medical awareness of the connection between and among head injuries, possible concussions, and the potential long-term neurological effects of those events had not yet developed,” Hudson wrote.
In a statement, attorneys representing Noga said they are concerned about the lives and well-bing of retired athletes in Minnesota who are in a similar situation to Noga’s.
“The workers' compensation system was adopted to provide compensation and care for injured workers,” the statement reads. “Under today's decision, many professional athletes in this situation will not receive that compensation and care.”