Football Great Merlin Olsen Contracts Mesothelioma

By: Chris Placitella @ Jan 16, 2010

 It seems that  no matter who you speak with,  someone knows someone who has suffered or is suffering from mesothelioma. The disease claimed another celebrity, Merlin Olsen. Olsen — who gained fame as a member of the Los Angeles Rams and went on to be a sportscaster, actor and spokesperson for FTD Florists — was diagnosed with the rare asbestos cancer mesothelioma a few months ago.

According to the lawsuit, filed today in L.A. County Superior Court, Olsen worked after school doing manual labor when he was 10 or 11 and was exposed to asbestos.

Olsen claims he was exposed to asbestos later in life when he was doing drywall. Olsen also worked at NBC and 20th Century FOX and is alleging those companies negligently exposed him to asbestos.