INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 04: A general view of the field before the game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium on October 04, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images
As the Los Angeles Chargers face an injury to their current star quarterback, a former starting signal-caller is suing the team doctor.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Tyrod has filed a lawsuit against David S. Gazzaniga and the practice he runs, the Newport Orthopedic Institute, for medical malpractice.
Tyrod, who now plays for the New York Giants, suffered a punctured lung in 2020 after Gazzaniga administered a painkiller injection for a rib injury in 2020.
He is seeking at least $5 million, with the lawsuit alleging that the lung injury hampered his potential free-agent value the following offseason.
“As he returned to free agency, he entered as a back-up quarterback as opposed to a starting quarterback,” the lawsuit says. “The economic difference between a starting quarterback’s salary and a back-up quarterback salary is at least $5,000,000 and is more than likely much greater. The exact amount of such past and future loss is unknown to [Taylor] at this time, and he will ask leave of this Court for permission to amend this Complaint to set forth the total amount when ascertained.”
Taylor did not play again that season after the injury. Justin Herbert took the job in Week 2 and finished as Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Following his two seasons with the Chargers, Taylor signed a one-year deal with the Houston Texans worth up to $12.5 million. He began the season as a starter before suffering a hamstring injury in Week 2.
Taylor’s attorneys accused Gazzaniga of “medial battery,” alleging that he “did not have proper and accurate informed consent prior to the anesthetic injections.”
Gazzaniga remains a Chargers doctor, and he helped treat Herbert when the third-year pro fractured his rib cartilage late in Thursday night’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The 24-year-old stayed in the game, but it’s unclear if he’ll play in Week 3.
Taylor joined his fifth team in six years when he signed a two-year, $17 million deal with the Giants. He’s currently their second-string quarterback behind Daniel Jones.
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