5 NFL superstars who sued the league 

The NFL has had a controversial presence because of both the nature of football and the way the league's executives run things.

Today, we take a look at some of the stars who have brought an issue across the league's legal team's desk. Here are 5 NFL superstars who sued the league.

1. Marcellus Wiley

Marcellus Wiley sued the league for illegal use of painkillers

One of the nine names identified in a lawsuit going after the NFL for illegal use of painkillers to mask pain by team doctors, Marcellus Wiley is, perhaps, the most notable of the bunch.

Attorney Steve Silverman was the representative of the plaintiffs. His claim was that the league was aware of the potential negative effects that painkiller usage could have on players down the line. He went on to say they prescribed them anyway as a bandaid fix:

"The NFL knew of the debilitating effects of these drugs on all of its players and callously ignored the players' long-term health in its obsession to return them to play."

This past December, the league won the case against the nine former players.

2. Tony Dorsett

Tony Dorsett defeated the league in a lawsuit

Tony Dorsett was another standout member of a team of ex-NFLers who took the league to court. Dorsett was the most famous name to win a $765 million settlement over concussion-related brain injuries among the 18,000 retired players attached to the lawsuit.

More than 4,500 men, all suffering from issues ranging from dementia and depression to Alzheimer's that were blamed on blows to the head, accused the NFL of concealing the dangers of concussions and rushing injured players back onto the field while profiting from the violence that caused it.

Per the settlement, individual awards capped at $5 million for those suffering from Alzheimer's disease, $4 million for those diagnosed after their deaths with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and $3 million for players with dementia.

3. Najeh Davenport

Najeh Davenport led a race-based suit in 2020

Retired NFL running back Najeh Davenport is living with cognitive impairment, including memory loss and depression. Because of that, he brought upon a race-based lawsuit with 20,000 black plaintiffs.

After the league appealed an initial test that proved Davenport had moderate decline or mild dementia for executive functioning and severe decline or moderate dementia for language, their own test showed nothing of the sort.

Since then, Davenport has accused the NFL of racial discrimination based on how it handles settlements for players who sustained brain damage or developed dementia linked to head injuries during their football careers in a lawsuit brought about two years ago.

4. Jon Gruden

Jon Gruden is not happy with the NFL outing him for his emails

Jon Gruden is a coaching (and commentating) superstar with very current and pressing legal matters aimed at the league right now. While also employed by ESPN, Gruden sent racist, sexist, xenophobic and/or anti-gay emails to then-Washington Commanders team president Bruce Allen. He is suing the league for the leak of his emails to "The New York Times" and "Wall Street Journal." Those emails led to a “forced resignation” last October.

Gruden believes he is being unfairly targeted. He believes that Pandora's Box may need to be opened on the rest of a potentially large contingent of other coaches and franchise executives.

5. Tom Brady

Tom Brady fought the law and he won

Tom Brady was one of the many stars who successfully defeated the league legally -- proving there is no medium in which the sport of football's QB G.O.A.T. can't dominate. Brady got his Deflategate suspension of four games overturned, per Judge Berman's decision, back in September 2015.

There could be another pending lawsuit involving Brady and the league here in 2022, with allegations of his involvement in a plot to circumvent the Rooney Rule and get Sean Payton hired by the Dolphins as he'd take on stakes in the team's ownership group. Brady and Roger Goodell could be back with their passive aggressive jabs in true American rich-man fashion.