Allgemeines » McIlroy took the blame for the breakup. "

CHICAGO -- The NCAA agreed on Tuesday to help athletes with head injuries in a proposed settlement of a class-action lawsuit that college sports governing body touted as a major step forward but that critics say doesnt go nearly far enough. The deal, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, calls for the NCAA to toughen return-to-play rules for players who receive head blows and create a $70 million fund to pay for thousands of current and former athletes to undergo testing to determine whether they suffered brain trauma while playing football and other contact sports. A lead attorney for the plaintiffs who spearheaded nearly a year of talks culminating in the agreement said the provisions would ultimately improve players safety and leave open the possibility of damage payments later. "I wouldnt say these changes solve the safety problems, but they do reduce the risks," Chicago attorney Joseph Siprut said. "Its changed college sports forever." Others strongly disagreed. Unlike a proposed settlement in a similar lawsuit against the NFL, this deal does not set aside any money to pay players who suffered brain trauma. Instead, athletes can sue individually for damages; the NCAA-funded tests that would gauge the extent of neurological injuries could establish grounds for doing just that. One plaintiffs attorney not involved in the negotiations called it a "terrible deal" that lets the NCAA off the hook far too easily. Jay Edelson called the agreement "window dressing," saying the NCAA will be able to settle one-off suits for several thousand each. He estimated that single, class-action damages settlement could have been worth $2 billion to players. "Instead," he said, "its worthless." The settlement is primarily directed at men and women who participated in basketball, football, ice hockey, soccer, wrestling, field hockey and lacrosse. There is no cutoff date for when athletes must have played a designated sport at one of the more than 1,000 NCAA member schools to qualify for the medical exams. That means all athletes currently playing and those who participated decades ago could undergo the tests and potentially follow up with damage claims. Tuesdays filing serves as notice to the judge overseeing the case that the parties struck a deal. At a status hearing later in the day, U.S. District Judge John Lee said he wanted more time to consider whether to give the deal preliminary approval. If he does, affected athletes will have a chance to weigh in before Lee decides about granting a final OK. The NCAA, which admits no wrongdoing in the settlement and has denied understating the dangers of concussions, hailed the deal. "This agreements proactive measures will ensure student-athletes have access to high quality medical care by physicians with experience in the diagnosis, treatment and management of concussions," NCAAs chief medical officer Brian Hainline said. Siprut added that stricter rules and oversight should help ensure the viability of football by allaying fears of parents now inclined to not let their kids play. "Absent these kinds of changes, the sport will die," he said. To keep the NCAA from having to hold unwieldy talks with multiple plaintiffs, 10 lawsuits filed nationwide were consolidated into the one case in Chicago, where the first lawsuit was filed in 2011. The lead plaintiff is Adrian Arrington, a former safety at Eastern Illinois. He said he endured five concussions while playing, some so severe he has said he couldnt recognize his parents afterward. Another named plaintiff is former Central Arkansas wide receiver Derek K. Owens. His symptoms became so severe he dropped out of school in 2011, telling his mother: "I feel like a 22-year-old with Alzheimers." Among other settlement terms, all athletes will take baseline neurological tests to start each year to help doctors determine the severity of any concussion during the season; concussion education will be mandated for coaches and athletes; and a new, independent Medical Science Committee will oversee the medical testing. Robert Cantu, a Boston-based clinical professor of neurosurgery and a longtime critic of the NCAA, said the deal is a huge shift by the organization. "Itll make collision sports much safer," said Cantu, who was one of the plaintiffs experts. But former UCLA linebacker Ramogi Huma said its all for show. "It takes some of the things many of us have been advocating for and pretends to address it," Huma, president of the College Athletes Players Association, said. Plaintiffs filings say the number of athletes who may require testing to learn if they suffered long-term damage runs into the tens of thousands. They cite NCAA figures that from 2004 to 2009 alone, 29,225 athletes suffered concussions. Internal emails unsealed in the lawsuit illustrate how pressure mounted on the NCAA over the issue. In a Feb. 23, 2010, email, the NCAAs director of government relations, Abe Frank, wondered whether debates about new safeguards for young children playing contact sports would crank up the pressure on the NCAA to do more. David Klossner, NCAAs then-director of health and safety, responded bluntly a few hours later: "Well since we dont currently require anything all steps are higher than ours." Later that year, the NCAA established a head-injury policy that states that athletes should be kept from play for at least a day after a concussion. It also requires each school to have a concussion management plan on hand. But plaintiffs blamed a tendency of some teams to hurry concussed players back into games, in part, on the NCAAs lax enforcement of the policy. In a 2012 deposition, asked if any schools had been disciplined for having subpar concussion plans, Klossner said, "Not to my knowledge." Wholesale Adidas Shoes Free Shipping . Cammalleri scored two goals, Corban Knight netted the winner in a shootout, and the Flames erased a two-goal deficit in the third period to beat the Stars 4-3 on Friday night. Discount Adidas Shoes Online . And on Sunday against the Houston Astros they were pleased to see his work finally pay off with his first win since May 24. http://www.wholesaleshoesadidas.com/ . Pironkova, who was ranked outside the top 100 despite reaching the Wimbledon semifinals in 2010, beat three top 10 players in Sydney, 2012 French Open finalist Sara Errani, 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and Kerber. Cheap Adidas Shoes For Sale . - Robert Griffin III has a sprained throwing shoulder that limited him in practice Wednesday as the Washington Redskins prepared for their season finale against the Dallas Cowboys. Cheap Adidas Shoes China . 1-9 on TSN. With more than 65 hours of exclusive live coverage, TSN delivers all the action beginning with Draw 1 on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.VIRGINIA WATER, England -- Only a few days after sending out wedding invitations, golfer Rory McIlroy broke off his engagement to Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki on Wednesday. Uncomfortable and subdued, the two-time major winner spoke about the decision ahead of the BMW PGA Championship, only a few hours after first announcing the split in a statement. "It is quite a difficult time for Caroline and myself, and the statement really said it all this morning," McIlroy said at Wentworth. "It was mutual and we both thought it was the best for us, the best for both of us. Time to move on, and Ive said all that I need to say." The 25-year-old McIlroy and 23-year-old Wozniacki have been dating since 2011. They were engaged on New Years Eve in Australia. The decision to call off the wedding came as surprise to many, especially since McIlroy had only recently spoke of his delight in meeting up with Wozniacki in London after competing in the Players Championship a couple of weeks ago. Wozniacki had been due to compete in an event in Rome but withdrew to meet up with him. "Look, Im no different than anyone else," the Northern Irishman said. "Everyone has been through breakups, and its obviously very, very difficult. But look, Im here to try and concentrate on this week and answer questions about golf, and thats what Im going to do." Both McIlroy and Wozniacki have been the top-ranked player in their respective sports, bbut Wozniacki has not won a major title.dddddddddddd McIlroy won his first major at the 2011 U.S. Open, and then added another a year later at the U.S. PGA Championship. In the earlier statement, McIlroy took the blame for the breakup. "The problem is mine. The wedding invitations issued at the weekend made me realize that I wasnt ready for all that marriage entails," McIlroy said. "I wish Caroline all the happiness she deserves and thank her for the great times weve had. I will not be saying anything more about our relationship in any setting." At Wentworth, McIlroy is among the top players at this weeks European Tour flagship event. "Im not going to lie. Its going to be very difficult," McIlroy said of playing this week. "But you know, at least when I get inside the ropes, just try and concentrate on the shot at hand. But yeah, its obviously going to be difficult." At least McIlroy will have something to cheer him up. The Manchester United fan will play in the pro-am alongside three former stars from the club, Teddy Sheringham, Peter Schmeichel and Phil Neville. "Ive been a Manchester United fan my whole life, and getting to play with three Manchester United legends is going to be a nice afternoon," McIlroy said. "I remember watching the Champions League final in 99 when United beat (Bayern) Munich in Barcelona, and it was a very memorable night. All those three guys were involved." ' ' '