The game on April 16 between Kairat and Lokomotiv in the Kazakhstan resulted in a mass brawl with the score 3-2.
We have seen a line of cases involving criminal and civil liability over attacks by players on other players. Usually, these cases involve players getting too physical in contact sports. Even golf has been the subject of litigation.
We discuss this controversy in torts in the context of the case of Hackbart v. The Cincinnati Bengals involving a game between the Denver Broncos and the Cincinnati Bengals in Denver in 1973. The Broncos’ defensive back, Dale Hackbart, was injured by a blow by Bengals’ offensive back, Charles “Booby” Clark. The court ruled that the hit fell outside of the NFL rules and thus Hackbart did not consent to such a battery. The reason was that the hit violated the rules of the game. However, there was no discussion of whether the rules of the NFL differed from the practices or industry custom.
This assault would be the possible basis for criminal as well as civil liability. A lifetime ban, however, should serve as a pretty good deterrent to such misconduct.
