Harry Jacobs, Jerome Barkum, and Tommy Mason, all ex-NFL players, have filed suit in Manhattan federal court for unspecified damages and brain-injury monitoring for all former American football players.  All three men played for pro teams for about 11 years and claim that they now suffer from brain injuries as a result of their years of playing.  They have asked the court for a declaration stating that the National Football League knew or should have known that repeated blows to the head and concussions would put players at the risk of developing degenrative brain diseases.  Similar suits have been filed in federal court in Philadelphia, as well as, state court in Los Angeles.