Shrader & Associates LLP: Jury Hits NCAA with $140 Million Total Verdict in Landmark SMU Football Brain Injury Trial

DALLAS COUNTY, Texas, May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A Dallas County jury has ordered the NCAA to pay a staggering $110 million in punitive damages, bringing the total award to $140 million for the family of former Southern Methodist University (SMU) football player J.T. Davis. The historic verdict follows a finding that the NCAA acted with gross negligence by failing to warn athletes about the long-term risks of repetitive head trauma.

The trial was led by Bill Horton, D'Arcy Rapp, Jim Hartle, Gabriella Lopez, and Justin Shrader of Shrader & Associates LLP.

Following an initial $30 million compensatory award on Friday, the jury moved into a punitive phase to decide whether additional damages should be imposed to punish the NCAA and deter similar conduct. The resulting $110 million punitive award marks one of the most significant legal rebukes of the NCAA in the organization's history.

"The NCAA built a system that depended on young athletes absorbing thousands of hits while withholding the truth about the risks," said lead counsel Bill Horton. "This $140 million total verdict confirms that the jury saw through the smokescreen. They knew the dangers as early as the 1930s and chose not to act".

The Case for Accountability:

• Decades of Silence: Jurors were shown internal documents indicating NCAA medical officials recognized neurological risks associated with football as early as the 1930s, yet failed to warn players or implement safety measures.
• Devastating Toll: The lawsuit was brought by the family of J.T. Davis, an SMU player from the 1950s who died after years of cognitive decline and memory loss consistent with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).
• A National Precedent: While other major sports organizations have acknowledged the link between football and CTE, the NCAA has continued to dispute the connection publicly.

"This verdict is a victory for the Davis family and for every athlete who was ever put in harm's way while the NCAA looked the other way," added Horton.

The Davis family was represented by Bill Horton, D'Arcy Rapp, Jim Hartle, Gabriella Lopez, and Justin Shrader of Shrader & Associates LLP.

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SOURCE Shrader & Associates LLP