A former running back for the University of Washington is suing the program for alleged medical negligence.
Emeka Megwa played for Washington from 2021-22. His lawsuit against the university stems from his ACL rehab.
Megwa claims he was pressured to practice despite being in serious pain. It allegedly took the team way too long to discover that he suffered a torn ACL for the second time. He said the school dismissed him from the team after his second reconstructive knee surgery.
As a result, Megwa is seeking damages from current and former members of Washington’s medicine staff and coaching staff. He’s also seeking damages from the university’s athletic trainers and physical therapists.
Megwa’s attorney, Andrew Ackley, released a statement on his client’s lawsuit.
“The main thing he wants is to prevent this from happening to other student athletes,” Ackley said, via The Seattle Times. “When there’s a major reconstructive surgery, the surgeons should be the ones saying what these athletes should be available to do, not trainers or coaches.”
Megwa joined Oklahoma’s football team shortly after he was dismissed from Washington. He only appeared in two games this past season.
It appears Megwa is still feeling the effects of his initial ACL injury and rehabilitation process.
“These athletes obviously put their bodies on the line, but this was not a risk-of-football injury,” Ackley added. “This was a totally preventable reinjury and UW messed up his recuperation.”