Sharrif Floyd Sues Dr. James Andrews for $180 Million
Sean Borman
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The end of what could have been an excellent NFL career came to an end much too soon as the result of a botched knee surgery.
Former Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd underwent an operation to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee in 2016. He was told by his surgeon that the procedure would keep him out 3-4 weeks. The minor arthroscopic operation instead turned into a more intrusive surgery that resulted in permanent nerve damage.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Floyd will be suing the doctor, Dr. James Andrews, a well-known orthopedic surgeon, for damages that wound up costing Floyd his career.
Ex-Vikings DT Sharrif Floyd is done playing football. Tomorrow, in a Florida court, he'll file a $180 million lawsuit against Dr. James Andrews and others, alleging it's the result of a surgery gone wrong performed at the Andrews Institute. https://t.co/5dwV0Nrp2A
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 6, 2018
The article explains the lawsuit in detail and includes a quote from Floyd’s lawyer Brad Sohn:
The related $180-million lawsuit is based on what Floyd would’ve made over the course of a longer career as a pro football player.
“We believe that if Sharrif had not been the victim of the medical negligence we allege, he would’ve been paid commensurate with some of the top players at his position, if not some of the top defensive players in football,” Sohn said over the phone on Monday night.
The suit, which will be filed against Andrews Institute in a Florida court tomorrow, alleges that pain blocker was negligently administered directly into Floyd’s nerve during the surgery, causing nerve and muscle damage. The nerve was severed and will never fully heal.
In addition to the suit, Floyd filed a grievance against the Vikings last season. He was due $6.75 million for his 5th-year option in 2017 and was paid just over $2 million. The grievance against the team remains unsettled.
Floyd started 24 games in his NFL career, recording 9.5 sacks and 95 combined tackles. In 44 total games he collected 22 QB hits and 4 passes defended. He was quite the dominant player when healthy. This is an unfortunate update to what was once a promising young career.