Former University of Washington running back Emeka Megwa filed a civil lawsuit against his former school earlier this week. He is seeking damages for alleged medical negligence from the university and nine current or former members of its coaching, training, physical therapy and sports medicine staffs.
A four-star recruit in the Class of 2021, Megwa is currently enrolled at the University of Oklahoma after transferring during the summer of 2022. His lawsuit was stems from a knee injury that continues to cause him issue today.
The alleged mistreatment did not begin until the arrival of Kalen DeBoer and his staff in 2022, but the saga dates back to Megwa’s senior year of high school.
As detailed by Andy Yamashita of the Seattle Times, it started with an ACL tear in the summer of 2021. Megwa was unable to play his final season of high school football and later reclassified to enroll at Washington for the fall of 2021. That allowed him to begin his rehabilitation under the care of the Huskies’ medical staff.
According to the lawsuit, Jimmy Lake’s staff handled his rehab well.
However, Lake was fired shortly after Megwa’s arrival to campus. Kalen DeBoer and his staff took over that winter. This is where the alleged negligence started.
Washington allegedly pushed Emeka Megwa to get back on the field.
Dr. Albert Gee of the University of Washington Medical Center told Megwa that he was not cleared to return to practice on Jan. 13. And yet, the injured running back was purportedly pressured to participate in offseason workouts. He was back on the field within days but immediately began to report pain in his shin.
Per the lawsuit, Washington trainers continued to clear him for participation even though Megwa reported knee pain and swelling throughout the month. They supposedly gave him painkillers.
Meanwhile, according to Megwa, he was ridiculed in front of the team for being unable to participate. A staffer allegedly told him to “drop your (expletive) nuts and get on the (expletive) line, that’s some p—- a— s—.”
Megwa then found out that he suffered a second ACL tear, as well as lateral and medial meniscus tears, on March 7. He left the school, underwent surgery back home in Texas, and transferred.
His first season with the Sooners was lost as result of the second knee injury. Megwa appeared in just two games as a walk-on last fall.
Regardless of whether Megwa ever sees significant snaps again or not, he hopes that his lawsuit will set a precedent within collegiate athletics.
The main thing he wants is to prevent this from happening to other student athletes. When there’s a major reconstructive surgery, the surgeons should be the ones saying what these athletes should be available to do, not trainers or coaches.
— Attorney Andrew Ackley
Financial details of the lawsuit were not disclosed, per Washington state law. The individuals named in the lawsuit have not been released. Neither DeBoer nor the university were available for comment.
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