The doctors for former NFL player Chris Maragos have been ordered to pay $43.5 million after a Philadelphia jury found they showed ‘medical negligence’ in treating a knee injury that ended his pro career.
The former Eagles captain and special teams ace suffered a torn posterior cruciate ligament during the team’s 2017 Super Bowl season. According to Maragos’ lawsuit, doctors ignored additional damage to his knee, which led to his NFL career being cut short.
After less than three hours of deliberations, the jury agreed, ordering surgeon James Bradley to pay $29.2 million and Rothman Orthopaedics Institute to pay $14.3 million.
‘We’re really grateful and thankful for the outcome,’ Maragos told The Philadelphia Inquirer after Monday’s verdict. ‘We had the truth on our side and the jury saw it.’
Attorneys for Rothman and Bradley, who served as the Pittsburgh Steelers team doctor for more than 30 years, argued that a second knee surgery Maragos was seeking would have done more harm than good.
Maragos, a defensive back, played eight seasons in the NFL, one with the San Francisco 49ers, three with the Seattle Seahawks and four with the Eagles.
The two-week trial featured testimony from several former Eagles players, including quarterback Nick Foles, tight end Trey Burton and linebacker Jordan Hicks.