October 04, 2019 at 03:18AM
A former UC Berkeley cheerleader has filed a lawsuit against the University of California and the national governing body for competitive cheerleading, alleging negligence in her training and physical care after she suffered multiple concussions while on the team.
In the lawsuit filed in Alameda County Superior Court on Wednesday, Melissa Martin said she was "bullied" into participating in team practices and games after sustaining a head injury while training for an aerial maneuver in October 2017. She alleges that over the subsequent five months she was forced to continue training and suffered two more concussions, and resigned from the team in Feburary 2018.
Martin said concussion symptoms, including headaches and vision problems, eventually caused her to withdraw from the university for the current school year.
Her lawsuit alleges that her coaches, who are also named in the complaint, ignored university policy for handling athletes with concussions by allowing her to continue training while she was experiencing symptoms. It also alleges that the University of California and the nonprofit USA Federation for Sport Cheering, known as USA Cheer, were negligent in not putting in place concussion protocols for UC and other college-level cheerleaders.
A UC Berkeley spokesman said Thursday that the university had not yet reviewed the lawsuit and could not comment on the specific allegations.
According to a campus statement, "Cal Athletics closely follows the dictates of a comprehensive policy on concussion management. This policy includes essential elements of concussion education and protocols for management of concussion."
The statement added that the UC Berkeley cheerleading coaches have safety certifications, which require concussion education, from national coaching and cheerleading agencies.
USA Cheer said in a statement, "Nothing is more important than the safety of our athletes. As this is a legal matter, we are not able to provide any additional information at this time."
Cheerleading is not officially recognized by the NCAA as a sport, but athletes involved with university programs often are required to attend frequent practices, competitions and other sporting events. Athletes on stunt teams that perform tumbling and aerial maneuvers are at particular risk of injury, according to sports medicine researchers.
Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.comA former UC Berkeley cheerleader has filed a lawsuit against the University of California and the national governing body for competitive cheerleading, alleging negligence in her training and physical care after she suffered multiple concussions while on the team.
In the lawsuit filed in Alameda County Superior Court on Wednesday, Melissa Martin said she was "bullied" into participating in team practices and games after sustaining a head injury while training for an aerial maneuver in October 2017. She alleges that over the subsequent five months she was forced to continue training and suffered two more concussions, and resigned from the team in Feburary 2018.
Martin said concussion symptoms, including headaches and vision problems, eventually caused her to withdraw from the university for the current school year.
Her lawsuit alleges that her coaches, who are also named in the complaint, ignored university policy for handling athletes with concussions by allowing her to continue training while she was experiencing symptoms. It also alleges that the University of California and the nonprofit USA Federation for Sport Cheering, known as USA Cheer, were negligent in not putting in place concussion protocols for UC and other college-level cheerleaders.
A UC Berkeley spokesman said Thursday that the university had not yet reviewed the lawsuit and could not comment on the specific allegations.
According to a campus statement, "Cal Athletics closely follows the dictates of a comprehensive policy on concussion management. This policy includes essential elements of concussion education and protocols for management of concussion."
The statement added that the UC Berkeley cheerleading coaches have safety certifications, which require concussion education, from national coaching and cheerleading agencies.
USA Cheer said in a statement, "Nothing is more important than the safety of our athletes. As this is a legal matter, we are not able to provide any additional information at this time."
Cheerleading is not officially recognized by the NCAA as a sport, but athletes involved with university programs often are required to attend frequent practices, competitions and other sporting events. Athletes on stunt teams that perform tumbling and aerial maneuvers are at particular risk of injury, according to sports medicine researchers.
Erin Allday is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com