Bryan Namoff played soccer for D.C. United as a defender for almost nine years, until his entire career fell away because of medical negligence. He claims that his career was cut short when he suffered a concussion on the field and was cleared to play too soon afterwards. According to Namoff, United was negligent in their management, care, and treatment of his injury. In the end, it was their poor choices that caused him to lose his ability to play. He was injured in a game at the RFK Stadium on September 9th, 2009, suffering a serious concussion. He was cleared to play three days later, but that game would be his last.
Namoff now says that he has suffered brain damage from the incident and has cognitive memory and sensory loss. He says that he has permanent headaches and fatigue but cannot sleep well because of sleep apnea. He also has a hypersensitivity to motion that he never experienced prior to his accident. Namoff has chosen to litigate, and is seeking $12 million against the MLS club and his former coach Tom Soehn. His wife, Nadine, is a co-plaintiff in the case. Together they are seeking $10 million in medical negligence and $2 million for the impact that the injuries have had on their marriage. Namoff says that he has been unable to work for two years and continuously incurs medical expenses because of his endless appointments.
Whenever an injury affects the brain, it can have far reaching affects. Namoff’s relationships, physical abilities, memory, and quality of life have been squelched because his concussion was not treated properly and he was thrown back into the jostling game of soccer too soon. United is not commenting on the pending litigation at this time, and has not announced whether they are repentant about their mistakes. Namoff’s attorneys have also told the Washington Post that they plan to add other defendants to their case. They hope to include Namoff’s former athletic trainer and the former team physician. Commonwealth Orthopedics will also be included in the lawsuit.
Namoff is not the only athlete that has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit after a concussion turned out to be more serious than the doctors thought. In fact, more than 3,000 former NHL players have filed for suit against the league, claiming that they concealed the long-term effects of head trauma on players for decades in order to keep them in the game. In 2000, Merril Hoge received $1.55 million when a Chicago Bears physician told him to get back in the game after a concussion. That misdiagnosis had long-term effects on Hoge. Clay Rush, a player in the Arena Football League, recently reached an undisclosed settlement with a Denver hospital after he was cleared to play after suffering two concussions in 15 days. Some MLS players have retired prematurely because of illnesses associated with a concussion.
In 2011, Major League Soccer created new guidelines that are supposed to train sport’s physicians as to how they should diagnose and treat concussions. Still, Namoff was not the recipient of this new training and has had to endure life-long pain as a result. He claims that he was playing against Kansas City when a player ran up and slammed into his shoulder. The action gave him severe whiplash. Namoff continued to play the game after the accident, but said afterwards that he was having vision problems.
While a coach admitted to Namoff’s wife that he had a concussion, he was not given any medical attention and declared fit to play the next game. If you or your child was misdiagnosed or cleared to play sports despite a traumatic brain injury, then you can sue for medical malpractice as well. You need to know that your physician will give you reliable information. When a doctor fails to treat you properly and put’s your future well-being at risk, then you have the right to seek damages. Talk to a medical malpractice lawyer today for more information!