Ex-Vikes DT sues Andrews
Published 7:49 am Thursday, November 8, 2018
MINNEAPOLIS — Former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd has filed a lawsuit against famed orthopedist Dr. James Andrews and several other parties for alleged negligence during a 2016 knee surgery that caused career-ending complications, seeking at least $180 million for potentially lost earnings.
Brad Sohn, an attorney for Floyd, confirmed Tuesday the complaint was filed in Orlando, Florida, in the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court for Orange County. Sohn said he believes the case can be made for damages exceeding $200 million, when projecting career contract values for the NFL’s premier defensive tackles.
Floyd carried that potential, but he played in only 44 games, the last on Sept. 11, 2016.
“He’s trying to figure out what’s next for him in life,” Sohn said. “That’s not an easy thing, because he had no interest in ceasing to play football.”
Floyd was drafted by the Vikings out of Florida with the 23rd overall pick in 2013, and he became a full-time starter in his second season. Floyd missed three games in 2015 for cartilage cleanup in his left knee, which continued to bother him the following training camp after the Vikings exercised the fifth-year option on his contract. After playing in the 2016 season opener, Floyd needed a similar arthroscopic operation on the right knee.