When Rice University freshman football standout Dale Lloyd collapsed during a workout three years ago, his death was tragic for the many touched by his life and a wakeup call for the NCAA's oversight of young athletes. Mr. Lloyd's family turned to The Lanier Law Firm to find answers. Firm founder Mark Lanier and firm partner Gene Egdorf have negotiated an important settlement to the wrongful death litigation that takes significant steps to prevent such tragedies from happening again in college sports programs.

Medical examiners concluded that sickle cell disease was a factor in Mr. Lloyd's death. Neither Mr. Lloyd nor his family were aware that Mr. Lloyd carried the sickle cell trait, and the NCAA did not require screening for sickle cell disease even though the sickle cell trait had been linked to other student athlete deaths. As a result of the litigation and settlement, the NCAA will recommend that university athletic departments test all athletes for the sickle cell trait. The Lloyd family has sought such a commitment form the NCAA to protect future student athletes. The sickle cell trait appears in approximately 8-9% of the African-American population, and is found less commonly in all races.

"This settlement is the first step in preventing tragic deaths like Dale's from ever happening again," says Mr. Lanier. "The Lloyd family is pleased that the NCAA stepped up and settled this matter in a way that honors their son's memory and also funds research that will save lives."

The NCAA also will insert a "Point of Emphasis" regarding sickle cell testing in its Football Rulebook in conjunction with a press conference scheduled for August. Additionally, the NCAA will instruct coaches, athletic trainers and student athletes about the dangers of the sickle cell trait, and provide a $50,000 donation to the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America and a $10,000 donation to the Dale R. Lloyd II Scholarship Fund. Mr. Lanier also will be contributing $20,000 to the scholarship fund in recognition of the Lloyd family. The Houston Press touched on the impact that Lloyd, a Lamar High School grad, had on so many:

It's difficult to overstate how well-liked Lloyd was among his peers. His death hit Lamar especially hard; he'd been a football star who was friendly to everyone, and got the grades necessary to get into Rice. "From the beginning of this case, our goal was to have the NCAA recommend and implement a testing program to prevent further deaths related to the sickle cell trait," said Gene Egdorf, the lead attorney on the case.