Ford Field. Photo Credit: Jimmy Emerson – Under Creative Commons License
DeAndre Levy has filed an injury grievance against the Detroit Lions for clearing him before he was ready to play.
Deandre Levy injured his knee in the Lion’s season opener last year. He did not return to action until Week 11, which he claims was because of the Lion’s playoff push.
Levy, who was released in March, claims that the Lions cleared him too soon and that playing on the injured knee has set him back at least a year.
Levy told ESPN “I figured there was something wrong because they passed me on a physical when I couldn’t even sit down to a chair or get into a linebacker stance at the time.” He went on, “I went in for just a follow-up for my knee, we go through the exam or whatever and I see he puts pass on it for the physical. I’m like, ‘OK, this ain’t right’.”
Levy states that he saw three other doctors; none of whom had approved him to be cleared. He would later need a second knee surgery after the season had ended.
Levy says that teams have contacted him about joining their team but he has turned them down, claiming, he won’t be ready until November or December but at that point, he questions if he will be in shape.
At a time when the NFL’s most pressing concern is injuries, concussions and player safety, does this open the door for other players in the league to take action because they feel they’ve been cleared too early as well? If Levy’s claims are proven to be true, will we see punishment rain down on the Lions?