Carcillo will pursue concussion claim, refuse to opt into NHL settlement

Former NHL enforcer Daniel Carcillo has revealed that he refuses to opt into Monday's proposed concussion lawsuit settlement between the NHL and NHLPA. 

He is instead looking to take the league to court.

A tentative settlement agreement for a suit filed in 2016 that alleges the NHL promoted a violent style of play without adequately warning players about the risks of head trauma was reached on Monday. The $18.9-million settlement sum will be divided among the more than 300 former players that were included in the suit. However, each player has 75 days to decide if they want to opt in or out of the agreement.

And Carcillo has already made up his mind: the former NHL enforcer has decided to opt out, saying he wants the NHL to admit liability for failing to sufficiently protect the health of the league's players.

"This fight is about holding those people accountable so they do admit they had liability and they do admit fault and they say they're sorry," Carcillo told Katie Strang of The Athletic. "What I want most is just an apology, acceptance (from the NHL) that 'we fucked up' and 'we make a promise to do better.' And that's it. That's all I’m looking for. And until we get that, I will bring them to court, I'll have the ability to subpoena them, to do my deposition, which will eventually become public, which will be very eye-opening for people. … It's going to be a very truthful account of what happened before parents put their kids into these collision sports."

Carcillo has been quite vocal about head trauma and concussions since he retired from the NHL after his nine-year career back in 2015. In his career in the NHL, Carcillo racked up 1,233 penalty minutes and sustained numerous concussions. He also won two Stanley Cups, both with the Chicago Blackhawks. 

"I just want the truth to come out. That's all. I want people to see how evil they are. I want people to understand they created a role for me to play. They created these roles for fighters to play. They encouraged it," Carcillo said. "I was never educated about the risk."

"I know this is my life's calling," he added. "This is what I'm here for now. This is what I plan on doing."