According to the lawsuit, Hoge, 54, was exposed to Roundup as a boy in 1977 when he began working on a farm in Idaho. For years, he mixed and sprayed Roundup on crops and other plants as part of his job duties, according to the suit.

Hoge “followed all safety and precautionary warnings during the course of use,” the suit says. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2003.
 
“Plaintiff suffered severe and personal injuries which are permanent and lasting in nature, physical pain and mental anguish,” the suit says.

Bayer and Monsanto have disputed the idea that Roundup is dangerous, and did the same in response to Hoge’s lawsuit.

“We have great sympathy for any individual with cancer, but the extensive body of science on glyphosate-based herbicides over four decades supports the conclusion that Roundup does not cause NHL,” Bayer said in a statement released to CNN.

Hoge was the 10th round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1987 NFL draft. He played seven seasons for the Steelers and finished his career playing a single season with the Chicago Bears. His career was cut short because of multiple concussions, and he later served as a football analyst for ESPN for two decades.

Want More From Sports Gossip? 

For all the latest breaking Sports Gossip, be sure to follow SportsGossip.com on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Pages: 1 2