A former Vikings defensive lineman who claims his dementia is related to multiple concussions during his years with the team saw his permanent total workers' compensation award thrown out by the state Supreme Court on Wednesday.
The court said the Vikings' treatment of Alapati "Al" Noga's headaches with over-the-counter medicines was sufficient and that his claim, filed in 2015, came too late. The 6-0 decision dismissed Noga's disability award from a lower court.
Noga, who played for the Vikings from 1988-1992, tackled with a "head-first style" beginning in high school and suffered from headaches even then, the court said. When he played in the NFL, he continued to lead with his head, something the league has since banned as awareness of the long-term impact of concussions has grown in recent years.
While playing with the Vikings, Noga suffered "a number of orthopedic injuries that kept him from playing games periodically," and also experienced head injuries and headaches, the court said. When Noga had a headache after a hit, team trainers and doctors would give him Advil or Tylenol.
Through weighing of multiple factors, the court determined that the Vikings didn't have "a conscious sense of obligation" for Noga's later dementia.
The court also said he should have filed his claim for dementia compensation no later than 2010 to stay within the statute of limitations. Justice Natalie Hudson wrote the 23-page decision. Justice Anne McKeig didn't participate in the ruling.
Nothing in the record indicated the Vikings should have known Noga was at risk of developing work-related dementia when staff provided him with Advil or Tylenol.
"Medical awareness of the connection between and among head injuries, possible concussions, and the potential long-term neurological effects of those events had not yet developed" at the time Noga played for the Vikings, Hudson wrote.
