Armond Armstead Filing Suit Against USC

Former USC defensive end Armond Armstead is reportedly filing a lawsuit against USC, per The Sacramento Bee reporter Joe Davidson. ReignOfTroy.com has further details.

Although somewhat vague initially, the allegations are startling in nature. Concussions are now a foremost concern in football, with former players, pundits and doctors lining up to emphasize the importance of leaving no head injury unignored. Blind eyes turned to rung bells are getting very public scrutiny, but

The injection scene in the climax of Varsity Blues always felt like Hollywood hyperbole, meant to cast Jon Voight’s Bud Kilmer in a villainous light. An injured player on a training room table, physically unable to compete with a ghoulish, inhumane head coach lingering over shoulder and advising his player to “take the shot.” The short-lived “Blitz: The League” video game series had a similar feature that allowed injured players to exchange longterm points for the immediate benefit of a doctor-administered boost.

It all felt very cartoony and ridiculous, or perhaps like a relic of 1970s football before athletes and coaches understood the gravity of such measures. College football faces a host of cultural problems looming over the kickoff of the 2012 season. This is one I would hate to see added to the growing list.

On the list is debate over transfer guidelines. The Sacramento Bee report says “[USC] blocked his attempts to transfer.” Danny O’Brien and De’Anthony Arnett had two of the more public spats with coaches while seeking transfer this offseason. Included in rumored destinations for Armstead was Notre Dame, a team USC faces each season that was recruiting Armstead’s brother.

Armstead’s younger brother Arik was among the most highly sought after players in the nation,and flirted with nearby Cal before opting for Oregon. RoT discusses USC’s recruiting of Arik Armstead through the lens of Armond’s injury in the above linked column.

If there is something to this report, and indicative of a deeper issue, it’s worth following to see if a crop of players take similar measures akin to the mounting class action lawsuit former professionals are bringing up against the NFL.