Former Eagles captain Chris Maragos wins malpractice suit against team doctors

Former Eagles special teams captain Chris Maragos sued team doctors who were part of his PCL injury and surgery in 2017 for malpractice, and after a two-week trial — which included testimony by several former players like Trey Burton, Jordan Hicks, and Nick Foles (!) —, the jury ruled in his favor to the tune of $43.5 million.

Maragos suffered the PCL injury in Week 6 of the season, but alleged that Dr. James Bradley and Rothman Orthopaedics Institute neglected to address meniscus damage while operating and rehabbing the torn PCL. His attorney argued that they allowed Maragos to run during his rehab leading to complications and ultimately the early end of his career.

According to Jason Owens of Yahoo! Sports:

“In a post-verdict statement, Maragos’ attorney, Dion G. Rassias, implied that Bradley and Rothman prioritized Maragos’ expedient return to the field over his long-term health.”

That seemed to be a trend for Eagles team doctors, at least back in 2017 and 2018. At the time, there were plenty of questions surrounding the team doctors and medical staff — especially after Carson Wentz’s back fracture was revealed —, with former players like Emmanuel Acho speaking up about poor management with regards to their injuries.

The Eagles did finally making substantial changes to the medical staff in 2019, including changing the hierarchy of that department. All concerns didn’t exactly go away after that, but players who suffered soft tissue injuries did seem to miss more time than they previously would have, which could indicate prioritizing player health over availability.

When head coach Nick Sirianni was hired, he and the medical and training staff made considerable changes to the offseason and practice schedules, in addition to the structure of practices, to keep players bodies healthier. In 2022, it seemed that their efforts were successful as all 22 starters from Week 1 were available in the NFC Championship game and Super Bowl.

Sure, a few guys were playing through injuries that will need addressed this offseason, but Sirianni on multiple occasions described the decision-making process with regards to players and their injuries and always emphasized that they put player health first, and team needs second. It all sounds good, but only time will tell if that is in fact the case.

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