美国国家公共电台 NPR--An LA jury rules the NCAA is not responsible for the death of a college football player

An LA jury rules the NCAA is not responsible for the death of a college football player

Transcript¹

After his death in 2018, the wife of a former USC linebacker filed a wrongful death lawsuit² claiming that CTE — or chronic³ traumatic encephalopathy contributed to her husband's early death.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

A jury in Los Angeles has found that the NCAA is not responsible for the death of a college football player. The wife of a former USC linebacker, Matthew Gee⁵, who died in 2018, filed a wrongful death lawsuit claiming that CTE contributed to her husband's early death. CTE is a form of traumatic brain injury. This is the first case of its kind to reach a verdict. Joining us now is Los Angeles Times sports editor Steve Henson. Steve, thanks for being here.

STEVE HENSON: Thank you for having me, Rachel.

MARTIN: This is a civil case, not a criminal case. What was the jury asked to decide specifically?

HENSON: Well, this was a landmark⁶ case. And there was - it was the first lawsuit against the NCAA in which a jury decided⁷ whether hits to the head in college football led to CTE and death. There's been other cases that have been settled before trial. And according to experts, many more are being prepared by plaintiffs who believe the NCAA should be held accountable for the repetitive brain trauma⁴ they or family members suffered while playing college football. But the jury was asked a couple questions. Did the NCAA bear responsibility for Matt Gee's death? And did medical science link Matt Gee's death to his college football career?

MARTIN: And the answers to those questions?

HENSON: Yeah. So it's a civil case, so - rather than criminal. So the standard was not beyond a reasonable doubt. It was a preponderance of the evidence, meaning 51%. Still, the verdict was a resounding⁸ no. The trial took a month, with numerous expert witnesses testifying for both sides. It was a complex case. And the jury took all of one day to render a verdict.

MARTIN: So if this case is being looked at as, perhaps, a bellwether⁹ for whether or not the league should be responsible for these kinds of injuries, I mean, were the circumstances of this case such that it was a good model?

HENSON: You know, it really wasn't. And in speaking to experts in the CTE world, they kind of saw problems with this case from the outset. It was a bit muddied. And the problem was that Matt Gee had many health issues besides CTE that the NCAA expert witnesses could say caused or contributed to his death, which was ruled by the coroner to be caused by cardiac arrest and that acute alcohol and cocaine¹⁰ toxicity¹¹ were contributing factors. So testimony¹² established that he had untreated hypertension, coronary artery¹³ disease. His heart was enlarged. He had advanced liver disease, untreated sleep apnea. He was obese¹⁴. So there was all these other factors that could have contributed to his death that I think made it difficult for the jury to just hone in on the CTE.

MARTIN: So how important are these discussions about head injuries for the next generation of college and university players?

HENSON: You know, the NCAA is the governing body of college athletics¹⁵. And so a lot of their experts during the trial sort of passed the buck¹⁷ to the member schools, saying that the schools are responsible for player safety, not the governing body - that the schools are where team doctors and athletic¹⁶ trainers and day-to-day contact with athletes takes place, and that that is where the responsibility should be. I'm not sure. A lot of the folks that were involved with the trial wouldn't speak until it was over. And I'll do some reporting. But I'm interested to know why the member schools aren't being sued. And it's the governing body that seems to be the target of most of these lawsuits¹⁸.

MARTIN: Has there been any response from the NCAA itself to the verdict?

HENSON: Well, they said it was the right verdict. Yeah. Their legal counsel came out with a statement, said the right call was made.

MARTIN: What about the family?

HENSON: Well, Alana Gee, Matt Gee's widow, who was the plaintiff in this case, was teary-eyed. She had nothing to say right after the verdict. And then they have three children as well. They're adult children at this point. And no one commented yet. But some experts believe this case established a foundation for negligence¹⁹ in future cases because a lot of the same expert witnesses would be testifying in another case as well. It's a finite group of witnesses.

MARTIN: We'll have to leave it there. LA Times sports editor Steve Henson, thanks.

HENSON: Thank you.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

3 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

4 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

5 gee   

n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转

参考例句：

• Their success last week will gee the team up.上星期的胜利将激励这支队伍继续前进。
• Gee,We're going to make a lot of money.哇！我们会赚好多钱啦！

6 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 resounding   

adj. 响亮的

参考例句：

• The astronaut was welcomed with joyous,resounding acclaim. 人们欢声雷动地迎接那位宇航员。
• He hit the water with a resounding slap. 他啪的一声拍了一下水。

9 bellwether   

n.系铃的公羊，前导，领导者，群众的首领

参考例句：

• University campuses are often the bellwether of change.大学校园往往引领变革的新潮。
• For decades the company was the bellwether of the British economy.几十年来，这家公司一直是英国经济的晴雨表。

10 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

11 toxicity   

n.毒性，毒力

参考例句：

• The hoarse grunt or squeal is characteristic of toxicity.嘶哑的哼声和叫声是中毒的特征。
• Dieldrin is related to aldrin,and its toxicity to earthworms is similar.狄氏剂与艾氏剂有关，对蚯蚓的毒性是相似的。

12 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

13 artery   

n.干线，要道；动脉

参考例句：

• We couldn't feel the changes in the blood pressure within the artery.我们无法感觉到动脉血管内血压的变化。
• The aorta is the largest artery in the body.主动脉是人体中的最大动脉。

14 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

15 athletics   

n.运动，体育，田径运动

参考例句：

• When I was at school I was always hopeless at athletics.我上学的时候体育十分糟糕。
• Our team tied with theirs in athletics.在田径比赛中，我们队与他们队旗鼓相当。

16 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

17 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

18 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

19 negligence   

n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意

参考例句：

• They charged him with negligence of duty.他们指责他玩忽职守。
• The traffic accident was allegedly due to negligence.这次车祸据说是由于疏忽造成的。