Football Player had Headaches Before Brain Injury

Sign On San Diego news has reported that Scotty Eveland, the high school senior that collapsed during a football game from a massive brain injury that resulted in his paralysis, may have had been suffering from headaches before and during that fateful game.

Breanna Bingen, a former student at Scotty's school and employed there as an assistant student trainer, has now come forward alleging that Scotty complained at least twice to his athletic trainer, Scott Gommel, about headaches and the need to miss some of at least two football practice
workouts.

The headaches allegedly occurred the week before Scotty collapsed.

The San Marcos Unified School District stated that they had no reports of health problems on Eveland. 

Bingen's testimony sheds a negative light on the district, one that indicates a cover-up to avoid paying millions of dollars to Scotty Eveland in his lawsuit.

Bingen said that just before the game began Eveland asked Gommel to let him sit out the first quarter. Eveland allegedly complained of a debilitating headache that prevented him from even seeing the football.

Bingen further attested that Gommel took the news to Coach Chris Hauser, who in turn began to yell within her earshot, "that Scotty was his (expletive) football player and that if he wanted to put Scotty in the game, he was going to damn well put him in the game. ... You're not an "expletive" doctor."

At that point Scotty, a 190-pound linebacker, was put in the game and preceded to play for approximately 45 minutes until he collapsed.

Gil Abed, the attorney for the school district, stated that neither Gommel nor Hauser admitted to having the alleged conversation, or knowing anything about Eveland's health.

Abed said, "I'm not saying (Bingen) is lying and I'm not saying she's not lying, I'm saying there's a lot to be questioned here. Other student trainers don't even remember her being on the field."

In all of almost 50 depositions taken so far, Bingen's is the only one that has suggested that Eveland had a problem with headaches. 

Eveland's attorney said that others have confirmed Bingen's presence on the field that night and one more assistant trainer did testify that Copeland reported having headaches earlier that week.

When asked if anyone told Bingen not to discuss the Eveland case, she reported that, yes, three school officials had: Gommel, an assistant coach and principal Brad Lichtman.  She said all three, "told us not to talk to any reporters or any lawyers."

Abed claims that they all have denied making such demands.

This is the third year the Eveland lawsuit has been pending against both the school and a football helmet manufacturer. 

Bingen gave three reasons why she had waited so long to come forward: She was unaware of the lawsuit, she was following the instructions from her employers not to discuss the incident and, she didn't realize how important her information would be.

In hearing only unsubstantiated rumors before of her son's headaches, Diane Luth, Scotty's mother said, "We tried to get more information, but everybody pretty much shut down and we come to find out that they were told not say anything.  This is all new to us. It's devastating."

Paul Luth, Scotty's stepfather said, "If we had known he was having trouble, we would have taken him to a hospital to have him looked at. We wouldn't have put him into a football game."

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