Hall of Famer upset about inclusion in lawsuit - Ingles

Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Lee Roy Selmon was "appalled" to learn his name was mistakenly included in a lawsuit filed by several former Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates against the National Football League and helmet manufacturers.

Selmon told The Tampa Tribune Wednesday he has not spoken to lawyers in Los Angeles who are preparing the case and learned about the lawsuit only after news reports linked him and his brother, former Bucs linebacker Dewey Selmon, with other plaintiffs.

"I want to clear this up," Selmon said. "I have not filed any lawsuit whatever. I have no intention whatsoever of filing a lawsuit. I'm upset about this. All I know is the same as you guys (media) have been finding out, but no one involved in this has talked to me.

"I want to make it very clear that while other players may have spoken to an attorney, I have spoken with no one."

The lawsuit originally listed both Selmons as plaintiffs, along with former Bucs Jimmie Giles, James Wilder, Cedric Brown, Greg Roberts and Jesse Solomon.

It claimed Lee Roy Selmon suffers from "multiple past traumatic brain injuries with various symptoms, including, but not limited to, memory loss, headaches, and sleeplessness."

"He did not know he was being included," said lawyer David Rosen, who filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court. "We are representing him in an unrelated issue, and that led to a clerical error on our part of him being included in this lawsuit. We have already removed him from going forward."

Dewey Selmon also is not part of the lawsuit.

Former Bucs linebacker Scot Brantley will be added as a plaintiff, Rosen said.

The Tribune attempted to contact Lee Roy Selmon on Monday and Tuesday this week, but he did not initially return telephone calls.

Linking him to traumatic medical conditions particularly galled Selmon, who said, "I don't have those types of issues — headaches, memory loss, sleeplessness — none whatsoever. I want to be clear about that. I'm appalled."

Selmon said if lawyers try to get him to join the case, he will decline.

"In my family, we deal with the truth," he said. "No way can I be involved in something if I don't have these issues. If anybody called me and asked if I would join this case, I'd categorically say no because I don't have any of the problems they're talking about." This article was written by Joe Henderson and appeared in The Tampa Tribune.