The complaints are among the first in a wave of suits expected to be filed against the NCAA and its conferences and universities in the coming months, that allege the sport’s governing body did not properly inform college football players of the risks of head injuries and the impact that traumatic brain injury could have on their long-term quality of life.
MacKenzie, who played for USC from 1978 to 1981, worked in construction after his football career until a stroke in 2016 limited his activity. He died in February at age 59. The complaint, filed Friday by his mother, Dorothy MacKenzie-Schmidt, states that MacKenzie suffered from memory loss, delirious periods, tremors in his hands and depression.