Bewerbungen » the wider impact of HB2 and how many

HARTFORD, Conn. -- More than 50 former professional wrestlers sued World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., saying the company is responsible for repeated head trauma including concussions they suffered in the ring that led to long-term neurological damage.Jimmy Superfly Snuka, Joseph Road Warrior Animal Laurinaitis and Paul Mr. Wonderful Orndorff are among the plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit Monday in federal court in Connecticut. The lawsuit also names WWE chairman Vince McMahon as a defendant. Stamford-based WWE denies the allegations.WWE placed corporate gain over its wrestlers health, safety, and financial security, choosing to leave the plaintiffs severely injured and with no recourse to treat their damaged minds and bodies, according to the lawsuit, which does not say how much money the former wrestlers are seeking.The plaintiffs say they suffered concussions and other head trauma that resulted in long-term brain damage.Last month, the 73-year-old Snuka was found mentally incompetent to stand trial in the 1983 death of his girlfriend near Allentown, Pennsylvania. His defense partly blames head trauma he suffered in the ring.Unlike other sports including football and hockey where players have suffered similar injuries, WWE wrestling matches involve specific moves scripted and choreographed by the WWE -- thus making the company directly responsible for wrestlers injuries, according to the lawsuit.The National Football League and National Hockey League were also sued by former players who suffered concussions and other head injuries. The NFL settled for $1 billion, while the suit against the NHL is pending.The WWE said in a statement that an attorney for the ex-wrestlers, Konstantine Kyros, has made similar claims against the company without success.This is another ridiculous attempt by the same attorney who has previously filed class action lawsuits against WWE, both of which have been dismissed, the companys statement said. A federal judge has already found that this lawyer made patently false allegations about WWE, and this is more of the same. Were confident this lawsuit will suffer the same fate as his prior attempts and be dismissed.Kyros, based in Hingham, Massachusetts, said on Tuesday that he is appealing the dismissal of two class-action lawsuits against the WWE over concussions, while two unlawful death lawsuits against WWE remain pending. The pending lawsuits were filed by the families of the late Matt Doink the Clown Osborne and Nelson Frazier Jr., who wrestled as Big Daddy V, Viscera and Mabel.The lawsuit involving Osborne, who died of a drug overdose in 2013 at age 55, claims repeated concussions led to drug abuse and depression. The lawsuit involving Frazier alleges his brain injuries played a role in his death in 2014 at age 43 from a heart attack. The WWE denies the allegations in both cases.Kyros said whats new in the latest lawsuit against WWE are allegations the company exploited its wrestlers, including misclassifying them as independent contractors and refusing to provide them with health insurance. He also said there are new civil racketeering allegations against McMahon.It has been the studied practice of the WWE through its counsel to denigrate the motives and integrity of anyone who is courageous enough to protest the WWEs totally self-serving choice to ignore the human toll and health crisis that its policies, fraud and mistreatment of its workers have created, Kyros said. Fjallraven Kanken Backpack Cheap . Canada is now down to its 22-player limit, although but players wont be registered until Christmas Day. Changes could still be made as a result of a suspension or injury. Fjallraven Kanken Wholesale .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. http://www.cheapfjallraven.net/ .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. Fjallraven Kanken Authentic . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. Authentic Fjallraven Kanken Backpack . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. The NBA is moving the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte, North Carolina, because of the leagues objection to the states House Bill 2, which limits anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the state.In a statement, the league said it hopes to reschedule the game for Charlotte in 2019.Since March, when North Carolina enacted HB2 and the issue of legal protections for the LGBT community in Charlotte became prominent, the NBA and the?Charlotte Hornets?have been working diligently to foster constructive dialogue and try to effect positive change, the league said. We have?been guided in these discussions by the long-standing core values of our league. These include not only diversity, inclusion, fairness and respect for others but also the willingness to listen and consider opposing points of view.Our week-long schedule of All-Star events and activities is intended to be a global celebration of basketball, our league, and the values for which we stand, and to bring together all members of the NBA community -- current and former players, league and team officials, business partners, and fans. While we recognize that the NBA cannot choose the law in every city, state, and country in which we do business, we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by HB2.The statement said the league will announce an alternate venue for next years event in the coming weeks.The Vertical reported Thursday that New Orleans had emerged as a front-runner to host the 2017 All-Star Game.?Several other NBA cities have become options, including Chicago and New York/Brooklyn, sources told ESPN. Louisiana, Illinois and New York all have specific state protections that dont allow for discrimination against LGBT people, with specific legislation passed this year.Los Angeles will host the 2018 All-Star Game.North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory reacted to the NBAs decision with a statement that said multiple groups had misrepresented our laws and maligned the people of North Carolina for months.American families should be on notice that the selective corporate elite are imposing their political will on communities in which they do business, thus bypassing the democratic and legal process, he said.Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts said she was deeply disappointed the HB2 bill caused the NBA to move Februarys game.All-Star Weekend would have provided an excellent opportunity to further showcase our great and welcoming city, she said in a statement. Charlotte has shown its commitment to equal rights and inclusion and will continue to promote those values.Stephen Curry, who grew up in Charlotte because his father, Dell, played for the Hornets, told SportsCenter that he was disappointed the city wont host the game but understood commissioner Adam Silvers position.?What really hurts, Curry said, is just I know how much that would have meant to the city.We support [the decision], he added, but at the end of the day, I love Charlotte. I love the city.New York Knicks forward?Carmelo Anthony?also said he feels bad for the city.Aside from all the politics, I feel bad for MJ [Hornets chairman Michael Jordan] because I knew what that was going to do for the city of Charlotte, Anthony told ESPN. It was definitely going to boost everything. For him being able to bring All-Star Weekend to Charlotte. I feel bad for him and for the NBA too. We as players didnt think it was going to get to this. Its unfortunate.Added Kevin Durant via Twitter:?The bill, also called The Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, which was signed into law earlier this year by McCrory, requires transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificates. The law applies only to bathrooms in government buildings, public schools and public universities. It does not apply to private universities, such as Duke. Private companies are allowed to implement any policy they choose.A provision of the original bill also excluded gender identity and sexual orientation from statewide anti-discrimination protections. McCrory recently signed legislation that restored the states original nondiscrimination protections removed by HB2.Multiple NBA sources told ESPN that Golden State Warriors chief operating officer Rick Welts, who is openly gay, gave an impassioned and well-received sspeech at the owners meetings last week in Las Vegas, effectively explaining the wider impact of HB2 and how many people it might affect around the NBA community, especially in an All-Star Weekend scenario.ddddddddddddBefore Team USA practice in Las Vegas on Thursday, and before the NBA announced its decision, Indiana Pacers forward Paul George told ESPN: Im huge on keeping your word. Im not necessarily saying its bad for the NBA to move it. Charlotte is a growing city, and the Hornets have picked that program up. Its a shame its possible that wed take that away from them.Turner Sports, which broadcasts the All-Star Game and the festivities associated with All-Star Weekend, said in a statement that it agreed with the NBAs choice.?We fully support the NBAs decision to relocate the 2017 All-Star Game and all of the weekends events originally scheduled to be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, the statement said. Laws to the contrary go against our fundamental belief of equality and inclusion for all individuals.ESPN, which has a broadcast contract with the NBA but will not televise the game, also said it supports the decision.ESPN has demonstrated a strong commitment to inclusion, it said in a statement. The NBAs decision is one which we fully support, emphatically illustrating that the league clearly stands for inclusion as well.While the All-Star Game will be moved, the league said in its statement that the Hornets operating in Charlotte is not a problem.It is also important to stress that the City of Charlotte and the Hornets organization have sought to provide an inclusive environment and that the Hornets will continue to ensure that all patrons -- including members of the LGBT community -- feel welcome while attending games and events in their arena, the NBA said.The Hornets and Jordan also released a statement.We understand the NBAs decision and the challenges around holding the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte this season, it read. There was an exhaustive effort from all parties to keep the event in Charlotte, and we are disappointed we were unable to do so. With that said, we are pleased that the NBA opened the door for Charlotte to host All-Star Weekend again as soon as an opportunity was available in 2019.Before the announcement, North Carolina state Sen. Jeff Jackson, D-Mecklenburg County, told ESPN that the NBA moving the All-Star Game from Charlotte is a $100 million hit to the city of Charlotte and the state. A lot of that money would go to schools, health care and roads. Weve sacrificed all of that for Gov. McCrorys social agenda. He would rather pander to his base than fix an obvious mistake that has major consequences.Jason Collins, who became the first openly gay athlete in North Americas four recognized major team sports when he played for the NBAs Brooklyn Nets in the 2013-14 season, tweeted his praise for the league.Not all leagues are ready to pull games out of North Carolina, however.ACC commissioner John Swofford told ESPN on Thursday that, as of now, the league will keep its December football championship in Charlotte. He did say that the conference will revisit the discussion in October.Other major sporting events in Charlotte next year include a Sprint Cup race in May and the PGA Championship in August. State Sen. Joel Ford, D-Mecklenburg County, said he believes the NBAs decision will have a trickle-down effect.Im anticipating, from a lot of discussions Ive had with executives and professionals, that the NBA was the tip of the spear, he said. If the NBA took the All-Star Game away, [it is] going to put pressure on other professional sports franchises.The PGA of America, which hosts the PGA Championship, released a statement Thursday night, saying, Since the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte is a private facility not subject to all of the provisions of HB2, at the 2017 PGA Championship we plan to allow spectators to use the restroom that conforms with their gender identity or gender expression.As we look to future events, our willingness to consider coming back to the State of North Carolina will be severely impacted unless HB2 is overturned.Information from ESPNs Rachel Nichols, Ramona Shelburne, Brian Windhorst, Andrea Adelson and Andy Katz was used in this report. ' ' '