The suit comes amid scrutiny and continuing litigation over the
effects of repeated blows to the head in American football, and the
potential for such injuries to contribute to depression and other
mental health problems among players.
Debra Pyka filed the complaint against Pop Warner Little Scholars
and its liability insurer in a federal Wisconsin court. Pyka said
her son, Joseph Chernach, hanged himself at the age of 25, after
developing brain diseases from playing in the league as a youth.
"Tackle football with helmets is a war game. It is not only a
'contact' sport, it is a 'combat' sport," the complaint said.
"Joseph Chernach's suicide was the natural and probable consequence
of the injuries he suffered playing Pop Warner football."
Representatives for the Langhorne, Pennsylvania-based body did not
immediately respond to requests for comment.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Feb/06/images/ads/current/cca_laptop-sda021709.png) The suit said Chernach played in the league for four years, starting
as an 11-year-old, and suffered concussions that were not diagnosed
at the time. The suit said he developed dementia pugilistica, also
known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and post-concussion
syndrome.
He performed well in school for years until he became a sophomore at
Central Michigan University, the suit said, at which point the
cumulative brain damage began to affect his thinking and mood.
"From that point on, his mood became progressively depressed and
ultimately paranoid, distrusting his closest friends and family,"
the complaint said.
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He hanged himself in his mother's shed in June 2012, according to
the complaint. The family only learnt of his brain injuries when
they got an autopsy report the following year.
Pyka is seeking at least $5 million for his wrongful death.
In 2012, the league tightened safety regulations to better protect
players from concussions and other head injuries, according to media
reports.
On Monday, a federal judge rejected a settlement between the
National Football League and thousands of retired players who sued
over concussions and neurological impairments, saying the accord
should be expanded to provide payment eligibility for additional
players and families.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco)
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