As noted earlier, former WWE star Billy Jack Haynes filed a lawsuit against WWE in federal court last week for “egregious mistreatment of its wrestlers for its own benefit, as well as its concealment and denial of medical research and evidence concerning traumatic brain injuries suffered by WWE wrestlers.”
TMZ has an article about the lawsuit here. TMZ noted that Haynes blames WWE for contracting Hepatitis C, which he claims to have contracted during “blood-soaked matches” with the company. He also claimed that the company encouraged cocaine and steroid use.
As noted earlier, WWE responded to the lawsuit with the following statement:
“Billy Jack Haynes performed for WWE from 1986-1988. His filed lawsuit alleges that WWE concealed medical information and evidence on concussions during that time, which is impossible since the condition now called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) had not even been discovered. WWE was well ahead of sports organizations in implementing concussion management procedures and policies as a precautionary measure as the science and research on this issue emerged. Current WWE procedures include ImPACT testing for brain function, annual educational seminars and the strict prohibition of deliberate and direct shots to the head. Additionally, WWE has committed significant funding for concussion research conducted by the Sports Legacy Institute (SLI), leaders in concussion research, and WWE Executive Vice President Paul Levesque sits on SLI’s Board.”
You can check out Haynes’ full at this link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/244697731
