Report: Berard sues NHL over brain injuries

Yet another player is taking legal action against the NHL over head injuries.

Former defenseman Bryan Berard is suing the league, claiming that it failed to protect him from repetitive brain injuries throughout his career, and that he now has serious medical problems as a result, according to TMZ.

The first overall pick in 1995 said the NHL has a responsibility to "cease (its) patent glorification of, and profiting from, fist-fighting and violence in the league."

Berard, who claims to have suffered at least five concussions, added that the NHL needs to not only care about the former players "on whose backs and brains (it) reaped billions of dollars," but also that it must prioritize long-term safety over profit.

Several other former players, including Garth Butcher, Ian Turnbull, Mark Hardy, and John Cullen, have filed similar suits against the league, according to TMZ.

More than 100 former players are part of an ongoing concussion lawsuit against the NHL for which a federal judge recently denied class-action status. Had that been permitted, more than 5,000 former players would've been allowed to join the case.