Gunster shareholder Aron U. Raskas was featured in a recent Q&A published by the Tampa Bay Times explaining potential liability risks for college football teams returning to play amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
From a liabilility standpoint, Raskas explained that “an institution that’s bringing students back has a duty to create a safe environment for them to operate in.” The difficulties in providing that safe environment stem from the guidelines that institutions will have to adjust to and abide by. Raskas mentioned a few, including: limiting crowd size, minimizing virus transmission, and adhering to protocols if someone does get infected.
Furthermore, Raskas explored the decision facing student athletes stating “ if you put someone in a choice between his health and his livelihood or his health and his career, that’s where you get in to thorny issues.” Raskas said that institutions may hold “unequal bargaining power” over athletes on scholarship who are asked to sign a waiver understanding the potential risks. He continued that “you have to be cognizant of the risks and the costs and the benefits.”
In a similar article published in Extra Points with Matt Brown, Raskas further explained the increased potential liability for college football programs with fewer resources stating “the standard of care may be different at an institution with unlimited resources as opposed to one that does not have the ability to do that.”
Aron U. Raskas is a shareholder in Gunster’s Business Litigation practice in Miami. He focuses on business disputes and the defense of professional liability matters. Aron has been recognized for many years by The Best Lawyers in America® in commercial litigation and Maryland Super Lawyers. He holds an AV Preeminent rating from the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings.
Read the Tampa Bay Times article here: https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/2020/06/22/qa-a-miami-attorney-explains-college-football-coronavirus-liabilities/
Read the Extra Points article here: https://protectus.mimecast.com/s/exzkCR6n27Ur1PQgh96KXN?domain=mattbrown.substack.com
