04/20/24
December 18, 2006
QB: T-Rac Wrecked My Season: Quarterback Adrian McPherson, who was injured during a pre-season game when run over by a golf cart driven by the Tennessee Titans's raccoon mascot, has sued the NFL team for $20 million in damages.
If only there were some way to get rid of the Dallas Cowboys' ROWDY!!
posted by jaygolf at 03:11 PM on December 18, 2006
Man, just think of it...if T-Rac doesn't run over A-Mac, then Drew Brees never gets his chance to prove that he can play quarterback for an NFL team. Heavy stuff, indeed.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 03:53 PM on December 18, 2006
jay, What does this link or thread have to do with the Dallas Cowboys. You need to go back 6 or 7 links to find a Cowboys topic. I know that sometimes it takes a while to get your thoughts onto the keyboard but you have severely missed your mark. Good luck!
posted by Termite at 03:55 PM on December 18, 2006
I suspect this will be settled out of court, and McPherson will have a big fat payday. I also think it's deserved. McPherson is an incredibly talented athlete (61 passing TDs and 19 rushing TDs against five INTs in the Arena League in 2004) who was expected to play some wide receiver for the Saints this season. Given his checkered past, New Orleans wouldn't have wasted a fifith-round pick on him if the team ddin't think he would amount to something. Instead, he was waived by the Saints in early September. The accident had a direct and chilling effect on his career. He'll get paid.
posted by wfrazerjr at 03:59 PM on December 18, 2006
I think "Rowdy" is the Cowboys team mascot, and jaygolf was hoping there was a less violent method of removing him, based on the assumption that if this case goes to trial or gets settled out of court, the Titans mascot is history.
posted by irunfromclones at 03:59 PM on December 18, 2006
Thanks irfc, Being a Cowboys Fan in Southern Califronia I was not aware of the new (1998) mascot. I always considerd Crazy Ray the main guy. Why would someone want to get rid of Rowdy? Is he not popular? According to the website he's an award winner. For each -- his own, I spose. jay's post makes more sense now. Thanks for wise'in me up about Rowdy.
posted by Termite at 04:16 PM on December 18, 2006
I guess T-Rac was a better choice than Ty-Coon. Either way mascots are just pests.
posted by BamaClass at 04:52 PM on December 18, 2006
I can see how McPhearson wins this case, but even had he not been hurt I highly doubt he would have been worth $20 million to his team. While I believe he should be rewarded some amount in damages, the amount he is suing for is just ridiculous.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:15 PM on December 18, 2006
While I believe he should be rewarded some amount in damages, the amount he is suing for is just ridiculous. First rule of punitive damages: You'll never receive as much money as you request. Second rule: Always ask for an asinine amount of money. If you're curious why, refer to rule number one. No, really, I'm serious. You see such outrageous figured in lawsuits because people figure that if they ask for what they really deserve, that number will be lowered regardless. Thus, to get what you truly deserve, you have to ask for an astronomical number which will then be lowered to somewhere in ballpark of what you think you really deserve.
posted by jmd82 at 05:52 PM on December 18, 2006
You're absolutely right, jmd82. Unfortunately, sometimes the juries are actually stupid enough to stick with the original amounts. Cases like that are the ones that get everyone's blood boiling. McPherson deserves to be compensated, but I hope it isn't to a ridiculous level.
posted by ctal1999 at 06:03 PM on December 18, 2006
I can see how McPhearson wins this case, but even had he not been hurt I highly doubt he would have been worth $20 million to his team. Perhaps, but if T-Rac had run over Marques Colston in the preseason, how much would you have awarded him then? How about if he ran over Colston before the first game of the playoffs, and after his breakout season?
posted by wfrazerjr at 06:25 PM on December 18, 2006
Not $20 million. There is no player in the NFL that makes $20 million, and a WR does not have enough control over the game to justify awarding him that much. I imagine that the Saints would still be playoff contenders even without Colston's impact.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 08:02 PM on December 18, 2006
So everyone in the NFL only gives out one-year contracts now? There's no indication in any of the stories I read that McPherson has completely healed from his injury, or that at the very least, his chances of earning a significant role with an NFL team haven't been dampened at the least and washed away at the most. The $20M is extreme, I agree, if McPherson latches on with another team in the offseason and makes good down the road. If he doesn't, however, he and his lawyers can point directly at a unbelievably stupid mistake by the Titans organization and say, "Well, he never had a shot after T-Wreck blew out his knee." Ka-ching.
posted by wfrazerjr at 08:14 PM on December 18, 2006
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't McPherson listed at #4 on the QB depth chart when the "accident" occured? How many teams keep 4 QB's? None that I can think of. That being the case, no career was ruined and this should not result in a $20 mil. pay out. Just another example of why tort reform is needed.
posted by FonGu at 03:09 AM on December 19, 2006
There is no player in the NFL that makes $20 million But there are plenty who do over the course of a career, especially when you figure in endorsements and the other perks that come with being on a team.
posted by yerfatma at 05:38 AM on December 19, 2006
FonGu I think they had other ideas for him anyway. He probably would have been playing some WR instead of QB.
posted by scottypup at 08:52 AM on December 19, 2006
Another strange, sordid note in the strange, sordid career of Adrian McPherson.
posted by Bonkers at 10:36 AM on December 19, 2006
If the lawsuit has any merit then he should be allowed to continue with the suit and in the long run win on the grounds that the team is resposible for the mascot and any and all injuries or harm done by him. Peterson is entitled to compensation if the injuries were caused by the mascot, who was acting within the bounds of the team concept as a mascot and therefore entitles the plainiff Peterson to compensation under the law. It also could be considered a workers compensation injury and that opens up a whole new sets of rules and regulations. The team would be better off coming to some kind of agreement before it really gets out of hand. In a jury trial the award maybe bigger than what the original suits was asking for. If you look at what the teams are making in profits, 20 million, doesn't seem like a lot of money over a 5-7 year career.
posted by ucla512 at 12:24 PM on December 19, 2006
But there are plenty who do over the course of a career, especially when you figure in endorsements and the other perks that come with being on a team. That is true.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 02:21 PM on December 19, 2006
If this guy had a legitimate shot at an NFL career, then even if he is awarded a substantial settlement he will still feel like a loser. If he didn't have a shot at an NFL career than he can consider himself lucky. Depending on the extent of his injury, even a crappy lawyer should be able to win this one. And just a reminder, compensatory damages are the damages paid to compensate a plantif for their actualy estimated monitary losses. The punitive damage part of the suit is to punish the team and get their attention so than the situation is not reoccuring. To a rich NFL franchise, based on the way they throw money around, 20 million is a figure that will not break them but certainly get their attention.
posted by Atheist at 02:31 PM on December 19, 2006
Anyone know what the rules are for qualifying for the NFLPA pension plan? Not sure of the details on how the ex-players are compensated in the NFL but it could be a thousand or up a month for a backup QB/#4 WR/special teamer who can stick around for a few years. That's gone now too...
posted by deflated at 04:06 PM on December 19, 2006
Yeah, I'm sure much of what New Orleans wanted to do this year hinged on a healthy McPherson. He's lucky someone finally even let him on their roster. That being said, it sounds like he has a pretty strong case against one of those annoying-pest mascots. He'll probably cash in, then get released prior to next season.