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Board OKs Settlement In Death of Frostburg Football Player

July 27th, 2016 by WCBC Radio

The Board of Public Works approved a settlement Wednesday in a lawsuit brought by the parents of a Frostburg State University football player who died of head injuries suffered on the practice field.

Maryland will pay $50,000 to a foundation named for Derek Sheely, a 22-year-old fullback who collapsed in 2011 after preseason drills and died six days later following massive brain swelling. The suit contended he died as a result of "second impact syndrome," in which someone receives a blow to the head shortly after a previous concussion.

The payment is part of a "total settlement" with Sheely's family involving the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the manufacturer and distributor of the helmet Sheely wore, assistant attorney general John Kuchno told the board.

The player's parents, Kristen and Kenneth Sheely of Germantown, sued those defendants along with three former Frostburg employees — two coaches and an assistant trainer. The Attorney General's Office represented the former state employees.

A lawyer for the Sheelys referred questions about the NCAA settlement to that organization. Christian Word, a lawyer for the NCAA, said it was not yet prepared to disclose the terms.

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