# Ex-NFL punter sues NCAA after heartbreaking Parkinson’s diagnosis

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/ex-nfl-punter-sues-ncaa-after-heartbreaking-parkinsons-diagnosis/
- Published: 2026-11-14T21:42:27+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-14T22:27:32+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/14/us-news/ex-nfl-punter-sues-ncaa-after-heartbreaking-parkinsons-diagnosis/
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Former NFL punter Patrick O’Neill is suing the NCAA.
- He alleges college football concussions contributed to Parkinson’s disease.
- The suit says the condition has affected his work as a surgeon.

## Summary

Patrick O’Neill, a former NFL punter who later became an orthopaedic surgeon, is suing the NCAA, alleging that repeated concussions while playing college football contributed to his Parkinson’s disease. The lawsuit says the condition has greatly reduced his ability to practise surgery and argues the NCAA failed to protect players or inform them about the risks of head injuries.

O’Neill, 55, played for Syracuse University from 1990 to 1993 before joining the NFL in 1994, then left football to study medicine at Johns Hopkins. Filed on 2 November in Manhattan Supreme Court, the suit alleges he was encouraged to play through head injuries and was not removed from the field for assessment or rest. It also claims the NCAA knew of links between repeated head trauma and Parkinson’s disease and ignored medical recommendations on concussion limits; the NCAA and other named parties did not respond to requests for comment.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.