An Ohio college professor who planned to sue the NFL over the league’s controversial use of “in-home” helmets is moving forward with a lawsuit against the league, her attorney said Friday.
A lawyer for John T. Kelly, the Ohio state university professor who was fired last week for posting about the use of the helmets, told The Associated Press that Kelly is still considering the legal options.
Kelly’s lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, attorney Michael J. Murphy said.
A date for a trial has not been set.
The use of in-home helmets by NFL players has led to a national uproar, with players and teams taking the unusual step of demanding a ban on in-game use of them.
Kelly’s post was first reported by the AP.
The NFL has not commented on the lawsuit.
Murphy said Kelly plans to file the lawsuit before the NFL’s new CBA takes effect, which will take effect on Sept. 1.
He said Kelly’s comments about in-house helmets were published before the union had agreed to a deal to ban helmets in games.
The league has been negotiating with the union to prevent helmets from being used.
Kelly said he was fired because he criticized the NFL, which he said was hypocritical for the league to allow its players to wear helmets during games while refusing to enforce the use-of-force policy.
He had posted a video on YouTube that showed players being hit by in-gear helmets.
Kelly also criticized the league for allowing its players and coaches to wear their own helmets during preseason games and during the regular season.
Kelly said he plans to ask a judge to prevent the league from enforcing the use policies.
Kelly, who graduated from Ohio State University in 2016 and worked at the university’s engineering department, told the AP he is seeking damages because he believed the use policy violates the U.S. Constitution.
He was fired by the NFL in August, just days before the start of the regular-season opener against the New York Giants.
