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Dave Duerson's Family Creates Safety Fund

The family of former football star, S Dave Duerson, have reportedly founded a new organization to help young athletes in Muncie, Indiana, the home of the former Chicago Bears player. The 11-year NFL veteran Duerson committed suicide in February 2011 while suffering from severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) believed to have been brought on from suffering years of concussions as a collegiate and professional football player.

His family, currently engaged in a lawsuit with the NFL, has founded the Dave Duerson Muncie Community Schools Athletic Safety Fund in order to prevent CTE in young athletes, according to the Chicago Sun-Times:

"The goal of the Duerson fund is that we’re committed to doing things to help the student-athletes in Muncie," said Bill O’Neil, a friend of the Duerson family. "One way or another, it’s going to happen."

Duerson and a growing number of other former NFL players have begun to blame the league for not better protecting its athletes. A class-action lawsuit against the NFL is currently underway, featuring players such as Super Bowl MVP QB Mark Rypien.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more updates on the Duerson trial as the story develops. For more news and notes from around the NFL, visit SB Nation's NFL news hub.