A South Carolina jury has ordered the NCAA to pay $18 million after ruling the organization was negligent in handling concussion risks.

The jury awarded $10 million to former football player Robert Geathers and $8 million to his wife Debra.

Driving the news: Geathers, 68, played defensive end at South Carolina State University from 1977 to 1980. He has since been diagnosed with dementia, with significant difficulties performing day-to-day activities such as dressing and meal preparation. • Medical experts at the trial testified that Geathers shows symptoms consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive brain disease linked to repetitive head trauma commonly seen in football players. CTE can only be definitively diagnosed posthumously. • The attorneys for Geathe

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