The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled the widow of a former University of Notre Dame football player may sue the school and the NCAA over allegations her husband was disabled by concussions during his playing days in the 1970s.
The suit alleged the institutions showed "reckless disregard" for player safety and failed to protect them from concussions. Steve and Yvette Schmitz filed the lawsuit in 2014. Steve Schmitz died in February 2015. The lawsuit says the Cleveland Clinic diagnosed him with a brain disease related to numerous concussions. The NCAA and Notre Dame argued too much time has passed to allow the lawsuit to proceed. The court said Wednesday it couldn't say the couple missed the two-year statute of limitations without more facts, and returned the case to the trial court.
