As the Philadelphia Eagles took the field in Super Bowl LVII against the Kansas City Chiefs, one former Eagles player wondered whether he should be on the field with his old team. But thanks to an injury — and more specifically, how that injury was handled — former safety and team captain Chris Maragos had to retire in 2019 at 31 years old.
Maragos sued orthopedic surgeon James Bradley and Roman Orthopedics, alleging they never repaired a torn meniscus in his knee, leading him to not only retire prematurely but also to suffer ongoing pain.
During a two-week trial, the courtroom heard from Maragos's former Eagles teammates, including Nick Foles, Trey Burton, and Jordan Hicks. In the end, Maragos was awarded $43.5 million in damages.
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Roman Orthopedics is an official partner of the Eagles, though the team itself isn't involved in the lawsuit. Bradley will be forced to pay two-thirds of the $43.5 million penalty, or about $29 million. Roman Orthopedics will foot the rest of the bill.
Maragos was undrafted out of Western Michigan in 2010. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers before moving on to the Seattle Seahawks and later the Eagles. He won Super Bowl titles with both the Seahawks and the Eagles.
Though the result of the lawsuit won't help get Maragos back to the NFL, it's quite the bonus, financially. Through nine NFL seasons, Maragos made a little over $10 million. A financial analyst told the jury the injury likely cost Maragos an additional $8.7 million in earnings. So, that's a potential $18.7 million in total earnings.
The sum from this lawsuit is more than double that amount, and it's more than four times what Maragos actually earned during his playing days.
Of course, Maragos will also have to overcome the mental and physical anguish the injury has caused. But getting rewarded like this might help make the coming years a bit easier to handle.
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