Disabled Winnipeg football player reaches settlement with Bishop’s University

Oct 5, 2017 | 2:00 PM

A former Bishop’s University football player who became mentally and physically disabled following a severe head injury during a game has settled a lawsuit with the school.

Kevin Kwasny of Winnipeg was seeking $13.7 million in damages from Bishop’s in a lawsuit that was to go to trial Thursday in Montreal.

“Kevin and his family are pleased with the settlement,” Jamie Kagan, one of the family’s lawyers, said Thursday in a release.

“They are eager to obtain additional therapy for Kevin in an attempt to improve his condition as much as possible.”

Details of the out-of-court settlement with the university in Sherbrooke, Que., were not released.

The settlement was made without any admission of liability, said the joint statement by the family’s legal team and the university.

“We are pleased that Kevin will have the necessary resources to support him,” said university principal Michael Goldbloom.

Kwasny’s lawsuit alleged he sustained a hit during a game between the Bishop’s University Gaiters and the Concordia Stingers in 2011.

Kwasny, who was 21 at the time, left the field and told his coaches he was dizzy, had blurred vision and felt like he had “his bell rung.”

The lawsuit claimed he was told to get back on the field, where he was hit again and suffered a brain injury.

Kagan has said Kwasny barely survived, was in a coma for months and now requires daily personal care.

Kwasny and his family in Winnipeg were not immediately available for comment.

A few years after his injury, Kwasny said he had lost his eyesight, the use of the right side of his body and the ability to perform basic tasks such as tying his shoes.

Some pictures from a few years ago on his Facebook page show him smiling in his football uniform.

The sports teams he follows include the Bishop’s University Gaiters.

Kwasny played high school football in Winnipeg and was recruited by Bishop’s. He was injured playing in his third season with the team.

“The Kwasny family is eternally grateful for all of the support they have received from so many people since Kevin suffered his injuries,” the family’s lawyers said in a statement.

 

John Cotter, The Canadian Press