Dec 17, 2013 2 min read

A former California University of Pennsylvania football player sued the NCAA Tuesday, claiming he was not warned about the risk of concussions and has since suffered brain and spinal cord injuries.

Matthew Onyshko, a Pittsburgh firefighter, and his wife Jessica, claim that over the course of his football career at Cal U. from 1999 through 2003, Onyshko suffered numerous repeated blows to the head, and that on three occasions, he lost consciousness for at least 30 seconds, the suit claims.

After graduating, Onyshko experienced frequent headaches, numbness, twitching, muscle atrophy, fatigue, loss of mobility, slurred speech difficulty swallowing, weakness and other neurological symptoms.

Onyshko’s attorney, Jason Luckasevic, said his client now relies on a wheelchair and had been diagnosed with ALS-like symptoms. Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a rare and debilitating disease. Luckasevic said studies and tests relayed that ALS was caused by head trauma, but could not confirm if Onyshko had ALS.

The complaint alleges that the National Collegiate Athletic Association was aware of the long-term impact of concussions but did not warn players.

“It’s important to understand the repetitive head trauma issue here,” Luckasevic, of the Pittsburgh law firm Goldberg, Persky & White, said. “(The NCAA) did not warn players of the chronic neurological issues associated with repeat injury. This is not a case of one concussion, but of multiple concussions.”

The complaint seeks compensation in the excess of $75,000 for damages and costs.

Luckasevic said Onyshko is not currently active with the fire department, but remains on the payroll. Luckasevic said it could be years before a decision is reached in the case.

NCAA officials could not be reached for comment.