Broncos Player Sues Chargers, NFL, ESPN, Others After ACL Tear

Broncos outside linebacker and special teams player Aaron Patrick is suing a slew of organizations, including the Chargers, NFL and ESPN, after tearing his ACL last month. 

The lawsuit was filed in California on Tuesday morning by his attorney, William M. Berman. For the following defendants, Patrick is suing for alleged premises liability: SoFi Stadium, Hollywood Parkland Company LLC, Stockbridge, The Flesher Group, Kroenke Sports and Entertainment and the Chargers. 

The above defendants plus ESPN, the league, Moe “Green Hat” and Roe Mat Company are being sued for negligence.  

The incident occurred during the Oct. 17 Monday Night Football game between the Chargers and Broncos when Patrick tried to tackle Chargers punt returner DeAndre Carter. Patrick stepped on the mats covering the cables leading to the league’s replay monitor. The linebacker could be seen trying to avoid colliding with the NFL’s TV liaison (Green Hat), and according to the press release on the lawsuit, he did ultimately collide with the individual and his foot rolled. 

“Upon stepping on one of the mats, [Patrick’s] cleats became lodged in the mat and/or the cords/cables running underneath and caused [Patrick’s] left knee to contort causing (him) to fall awkwardly,” the lawsuit reads.

Patrick is now out for the remainder of the season because of this incident and is suing for both non-economic and monetary damages of an unspecified amount. His lead counsel, Berman, said in the press release, “Player safety should be the foremost of importance to the NFL and its owners. The NFL is a multi-billion-dollar sports enterprise and business, and it needs to do everything possible to protect its players from non-contact game injuries. As for Patrick’s injuries, Sofi Stadium was built at a $5,000,000,000 expense; the stadium should have the state-of-the-art equipment to protect for player safety, and not use the type of $100 mats that you would expect to see in a restaurant kitchen.”

There is precedent in this case, as cited in the filing. Former NFL running back Reggie Bush tore his lateral meniscus after he slipped on a concrete slip at St. Louis’s Edward Jones Dome during the 2015–16 season. His season was cut short, and in turn, he sued the Rams, ultimately being awarded $12.45 million in damages. 

Patrick’s lawsuit alleges, per the press release, “The defendants were negligent in their operations of SOFI STADIUM in allowing a dangerous condition to exist by having three mats placed near the sideline to cover cords/cables that led to the feed for the instant NFL’s replay monitor.” 

In just his second year with the Broncos, Patrick has tallied 11 career tackles in 17 games played.