The Pop Warner organization has settled a lawsuit brought by a Wisconsin woman who alleged her 25-year-old son's suicide resulted from brain injuries he suffered while playing youth football, a Pop Warner spokesman said Wednesday.

Long after the end of his NHL career, Steve Payne is living an empty-nest life with his wife and three dogs in western Wisconsin.

The mother of a Wisconsin man who died in 2012 sued the Pop Warner organization Thursday, saying his suicide was the result of dementia and deep despair caused by brain injuries he suffered while playing youth football.

Smokers and pro football players have something in common: They engage in risky behavior that can be potentially harmful to their health over time.

When veteran litigator Paul E. Bucher joined his school's football team in seventh grade, one of the first things coaches had him do was pick out and test his helmet to make sure it fit.

"We were told to put it on, run and hit our head against a tree to see if it fit properly," he said. "Of course, I did it."