Did a Concussion Kill Gordie Howe? Hard to Say ... He's Not Dead

As if more proof was needed that not even high-priced attorneys can provide protection from legal incompetence.

First, shysters for both the NFL and 4500 players suing for damages due to concussion-related after-effects reach a $765million settlement that even the judge found laughable before rejecting it as poorly-researched. Now, attorneys for NHL players suing along the same lines go one better. Or one worse.

A second pending class action lawsuit -- La Couture v NHL -- contains serious and troubling allegations regarding the league's duplicity in negligence involving all aspects of head trauma incurred during the players' careers. If a jury decides in the players' favor, it will be a landmark decision involving shiploads of cash. One would think the magnitude of this occasion -- as with the NFL case -- would cause each side's legal brief to be thoroughly researched, confirmed, and impervious to scrutiny.

One would think.

Check this out. Here's one of the supporting statements filed by the players' legal team, cataloging the tragic demise of Mr Hockey himself:

Fortunately for Howe -- and unfortunately for the players' argument -- he's still with us. Alive, kicking, and bravely battling dementia. It was his wife who succumbed.

Maybe the dude in this Verizon commercial is part of their legal team. Eerily, his dad does bear a resemblance to Howe:

Perhaps, to restore their dented cred, the legal team might need to call in a favor, like this:

Most likely, though, the judge will not be amused.