Former Philadelphia Eagles Player Wins $43.5 Million Lawsuit

By Brian Jones

A former Philadelphia Eagles player just earned a large sum of money. Chris Maragos won a malpractice lawsuit against the medical team that failed to treat his torn meniscus. The former Eagles safety was awarded $43.5 million by the jury after suing Dr. James Bardley and Rothman Orthopaedics for medical negligence after he tore his posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) during Philadelphia's 2017 Super Bowl-winning season. According to the Washington Post, Maragos claimed the doctors missed a torn meniscus and incorrectly said it was stable. It ultimately led to the 36-year-old former NFL star announcing his retirement from the NFL. 

"On Sunday, my team played in the [Super Bowl], and I could only watch and wonder whether I could have been out there with them had I received proper medical care," Maragos said in a press release through his legal team, per the New York Post. "While I live in constant pain and will never get back on the field, I hope this decision sends a message to teams' medical staffs that players are people, not just contracts…We're really grateful and thankful for the outcome. We had the truth on our side, and the jury saw it."

The injury first occurred in Oct. 2017, and Bradley repaired the PCL. In 2018, it was discovered his knee didn't heal correctly but was still given the green light for rehab. Dion Rassias, Margos' attorney said doctors  "hastily advanced [the safety]s activities" which led him to go down  "a path of pain, suffering, immobility and several future knee replacements." Margos then had two more surgeries and could have his knee replaced. He officially announced his retirement in 2019. 

Maragos began his NFL career in 2010. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent that year before joining the Seattle Seahawks in 2011. Maragos was a member of the 2013 team that won a Super Bowl and they joined the Eagles in 2014. In his career, Maragos played in 99 games and recorded 93 tackles, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. 

"To all the fans that supported me, especially Eagles fans, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I've tried to put on display every single snap how I think each and everyone of you would play the game if you were able to," Maragos said in his retirement announcement. "I hope I've made you proud by the intensity and passion that I played with, by leaving it all on the field every single time I stepped between the lines."

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