Arguing that "football has become the site of perhaps the gravest health crisis in the history of sports," lawyers for thousands of former NFL players asked a judge to reject the leagues bid to dismiss their lawsuits about concussions. In a brief filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, the players dispute the leagues framing of the cases as a labour issue that should be governed by the sports collective bargaining agreements instead of the legal system. Among the players arguments: Relevant CBAs did not address long-term brain injuries, the NFL committed fraud by concealing risks of repeated head trauma, and the league has a common-law duty to protect players. "The NFL knew that players were exposed to risks of severe neurological injuries, yet did nothing to prevent them," the brief says, adding that the league "failed to warn players about the dangers of concussive and sub-concussive impacts," did not advocate preventative rule changes and did not "implement equipment standards adapted for head trauma." The league filed its motion to dismiss the lawsuits in August and now will have the chance to respond to the players reply. The NFL repeatedly has stated publicly it did not intentionally mislead players and has tried to better protect their health. More than 100 concussion lawsuits against the NFL have been brought together before U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody. Unless Brody agrees to dismiss them, or an umbrella settlement is reached, she probably would decide what evidence can be used at trial, whether a class can be certified for medical monitoring and other pretrial issues. The cases might then return to their home districts for trial. In its motion two months ago, the NFL argued that the CBAs cover safety and health rules -- while delegating to individual teams and their doctors the decisions about players conditions and when they should return to play. The league also said the former players suits lack specific proof that medical links between concussions and brain disease were concealed. The players response Wednesday says "a party cannot shirk its own duty by pointing to the duties of others" and that the "NFL deceived club doctors (as well as players) by insisting repeatedly that head trauma carried little long-term risk for football players." Wednesdays brief argues that the NFL "orchestrated a disinformation campaign" and says: "On the NFLs watch, football has become the site of perhaps the gravest health crisis in the history of sports." According to an Associated Press analysis, a total of more than 3,500 former players -- including at least 26 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- have sued the NFL, saying not enough was done to inform them about the dangers of concussions in the past, and not enough is being done today to take care of them. The complete number of plaintiffs in those cases tops 5,000, counting spouses and other relatives or representatives. The lead plaintiff in one of the earliest concussion lawsuits filed against the NFL last year, former Atlanta Falcons safety Ray Easterling, committed suicide in April at age 62. An autopsy found he had the degenerative brain disease CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. His widow remains a plaintiff. Other players have told the AP they returned to play after hits that left them with concussions and regularly were given painkillers by team doctors before games. Cheap Jerseys . 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When competitors started eclipsing him in Paralympic swimming in 2008, Huot refused to concede his race was run.(Sports Network) - The Toronto Blue Jays may not find much relief back home after a tough 2-8 road trip, as they return to face the East Division-leading New York Yankees. The Rays Jose Lobaton drove in three runs and Matt Moore tossed six strong innings, as Tampa Bay dispatched Toronto, 7-1, to finish a sweep on Thursday. Henderson Alvarez (7-9) was tagged in defeat for 11 hits and six runs -- four earned -- over 4 2/3 frames for the Blue Jays, who stumbled to their ninth loss in 11 outings overall. Toronto scored just four runs on 12 hits in the entire series in Tampa as it continues to toil without injured regulars Jose Bautista (wrist), Brett Lawrie (oblique) and Adam Lind (back). Veteran right-hander Freddy Garcia will take the ball for the Yankees in the opener, hoping to halt New Yorks three-game losing streak in Toronto. The crafty Garcia is coming off his 150th career major league win, the most ever for a Venezuelan-born player, when he allowed two runs over five innings in a 6-2 win over Seattle. The 35-year-old is 7-8 with a dismal 6.02 ERA all- time versus the Blue Jays, however. Opposing Garcia will be lefty Ricky Romero, who had lost seven straight starts, until shutting down Oakland in a 3-1 win on Saturday. Romero is 3-5 lifetime against New York with a 5.dddddddddddd37 ERA. The Yankees rebounded to earn a split after losing the first two contests in a four-game series at Detroit. Eric Chavez, who has filled in nicely at third base since Alex Rodriguez went down with an injury, was the hero on Thursday, hitting a go-ahead solo homer in the eighth inning as New York hung on to beat the Tigers, 4-3. The game was not without drama, however, as Rafael Soriano ran into some trouble in the ninth before nailing down his 27th save. Mark Teixeira preceded Chavezs blast with a game-tying homer, his 21st of the season. Chavez, a former All-Star in Oakland, had two hits and scored twice for the Yankees, giving him a .467 batting average (14-for-30) in his last nine games. He belted the game-winner against Joaquin Benoit, a pitcher he traditionally struggles with. "My numbers arent very good against him," Chavez said of facing Benoit. "In fact, theyre pretty terrible. I was looking for a heater and I believe he left a changeup kind of up and away. I just saw it out of his hand." The Yankees have taken three of their five matchups versus the Jays so far this season, dropping two north of the border in mid-may, before rebounding to sweep a three-game series in the Bronx two months later. ' ' '