HOUSTON — A former Houston Texans’ linebacker’s career effectively ended the day he was injured on his return to NRG Stadium, and that is the reason he is suing the club and others, his attorney told the Southeast Texas Record.
DeMeco Ryans, who spent six years with the Texans before his 2012 trade to the Philadephia Eagles, is claiming he would have played in the NFL for another five years, with potential earnings of $10 million.
Ryans is suing the NFL, the Houston Texans, stadium owner Harris County Convention and Sports Corp., stadium manager SMG, and the creators of the turf he claims led to a serious injury in November 2014.
The linebacker, a 2006 second round pick who was named Pro Bowler twice, suffered an Achilles tendon injury during a game. He blames the way the turf was laid down for his injury.
He did play 14 games the following season but was no longer able to compete to the best of his ability, Rob Ammons, Ryan’s attorney, said. He was let go by the Eagles in February of this year, and is currently a free agent without a club.
Ammons told the Southeast Texas Record that the injury effectively ended the linebacker’s career. “It was a career ending injury,” Ammons said.
This lawsuit is the first where a player from an opposing team has sued over the way the Texans laid the turf down in its stadium, Ammons said.
At the time of Ryans' injury, the Texans were playing on a grass field. The grass was grown in modules outside the stadium, then moved and placed to make a playing surface. The system was developed by StrathAyr Turf Systems Pty Ltd., an Australian company
The Texans, after using the system for five years from 2010, switched to AstroTurf last season following an injury to its linebacker, the lawsuit states.
On Nov. 2, 2014, according to the suit, "there were points where the seams between the modules intersected [and] appeared to look like holes filled in with sand. The surface of the field was also inconsistent as some of the modules were soft, some were firm and the modules did not fit together well."
The complaint also cites the case of Texans’ punter Brett Hartmann, who suffered a knee injury in 2011 that ended his career.
But, according to the suit, "to the Texans, Brett Hartmann 'was just a punter,' " and "the Texans and the NFL didn't really care about what happened to him” because he was not in the league long enough.
Hartmann, in his complaint, which is still making its way through the court system, claims his injured happened because his foot got caught in one of the dozens of seams caused by the "pallet system.”
The lawsuit claims the Texans did not make the move to change the turf until its linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, a 2014 first round pick, suffered a knee injury in his first NFL game. The football team moved to AstroTurf in September 2015.
"Then, and only then, was it time for defendants to fix the problem," the lawsuit states.
It also quotes New England Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick attacking the layout of the pitch following an injury to one of his players. Receiver Wes Welker tore his knee during a game against the Texans in January 2010.
"The turf down there is terrible. It's terrible. It's just inconsistent," Belichick is quoted as saying. "It's all the little trays of grass and some of them are soft and some of them are firm and they don't all fit well together. Some of it feels like a sponge, some of [it] feels real firm and hard like the Miami surface. One step you're on one, the other step you're on another. I really think it's one of the worst fields I've seen.”
Ammons, Ryans’ lawyer, said this type of case is not covered by any collective bargaining agreement with the NFL. He cited the Reggie Bush case, where the running back sued over an injury suffered in St. Louis.
The NFL and the NFL Players Association announced this summer a joint committee to study and monitor field conditions. The committee will inspect fields and take steps to make them safer.
“We got into every case ready to go to trial, but will settle if that is what the client wants,” Ammons said. "But we want to make sure this turf is not used in future.”
Lucy Nashed, of Texans for Lawsuit Reform, told the Record: “This issue is not currently on our radar, but we are always keeping an eye on emerging trends and potential abuses of our courts.”
The Texans told ESPN they would not comment on current litigation. ProFootballTalk.com, which first reported on the lawsuit, reported the NFL had no comment when contacted about the case.