Cap Boso

Casper "Cap" Boso (born September 10, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini. Ranked #4 in the nation that year. Boso, and the talented offense of Illinois, faced the UCLA Bruins in the Rose Bowl.

Boso attended and played football for Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis, Indiana. His totality of college football was played for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini, in Champaign-Urbana, IL. Behind the scrambling and slinging passes of Jack Trudeau, the Illini finished the 1984 season ranked #4 in the nation. Selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the eighth round (207th overall) of the 1986 NFL draft, Boso was cut early and subsequently signed by the St. Louis Cardinals, for whom he played two games in 1986. In 1987, the Cardinals waived him and the Chicago Bears signed him. Boso played for the Bears until 1991, when he experienced a series of knee injuries and retired from active play. Citing the rights of contract players to receive full consideration as employees of the NFL Owners, therefore having greater access to health care, long term disability plans, etc. NFL Ownership fought against Mr. Boso's claims for worker's compensation. Eventually the United States Supreme Court ruled in Mr. Boso's favor. Essentially forcing the Owners to treat the players as employees, which includes the right to a safe workplace.This landmark decision, forcing this change in employee status, opened the door for all legislation against the NFL and Team Owners for negligence in prevention of long-term damage from traumatic brain injuries.

If not for Mr Boso, and his legal team's, persistence, no precedent would have existed and the NFL's arguments would have held in their fight against compensation for Brain Injuries to players. Every incidence of injury leading to CTE, and the many accompanying conditions, would have simply been on the "Contract" player to figure out.