Broncos Linebacker Suing The Chargers And NFL After Sustaining ACL Tear On A Sideline Mat At SoFi Stadium

Denver Broncos linebacker Aaron Patrick is suing the Los Angeles Chargers and the NFL after he tore his ACL on a rubber mat near the field of play.

Patrick was injured on October 17th when the teams faced each other on Monday Night Football. Patrick went to make a tackle as the Chargers’ player ran toward the sidelines, and the runner ran out of bounds.

Patrick‘s momentum took him toward a rubber mat laid out to cover cables for the NFL instant replay monitors, and he tried to avoid an NFL official. Patrick’s foot slipped on the mat and sent him to the ground when he stepped on the mat. He was ruled out of the game with a knee injury and later diagnosed with a torn ACL, which ended his season.

Documents obtained by TMZ Sports on Tuesday, Patrick filed a lawsuit that claims “his momentum carried him into the sideline area.”

Patrick’s lawyer, William M. Berman, released a statement about the lawsuit. It read as:

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 injuries.

As for Patrick’s injuries, So-Fi Stadium was built at a $5,000,000,000 expense; the stadium should have 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.

Watch above via ESPN.

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