Art DeCarlo v. NFL
Sheilla Dingus founded Advocacy for Fairness in Sports in October 2016, after a stint with Defenders of the Wall, a New England Patriots based blog where she dived deep into the legal aspects of Deflategate. Along the way, she observed many inequities in sports and felt a need to address some of the under-reported stories in sports law. She draws from her background as a former professional dancer, who like many of the athletes she writes about, took an early retirement due to orthopedic injuries. After a return trip to college she worked for a legal software company, with seven years as a Project Manager and Analyst. She brings her analytical skills to the table in breaking down complex lawsuits, and enjoys pursuing her longtime interest in journalism.
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In November 2015 a wrongful death law suit was filed against the NFL by Arthur DeCarlo Jr., son of Arthur “Art” DeCarlo Sr., who was a defensive back in the NFL from 1953 through 1960. Drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1953, DeCarlo Sr. was quickly traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers where he played for a year prior to enlistment in the Army. While still in the Army, his contract was traded to the Washington Redskins. Afterward, he finished his NFL career playing for the Baltimore Colts from 1957 – 1960. “DeCarlo was exposed to numerous concussive and sub-concussive blows throughout his NFL career, [including] . . . loss-of-consciousness concussions where DeCarlo was subsequently returned to game play within the same game, within several plays of having been rendered unconscious,” states DeCarlo Jr., in the lawsuit.
