Former player injured by teammates in fight files suit against Louisville
Former Louisville football player Patrick Grant has sued the university and coach Charlie Strong, asserting that he was forced to lie about a locker-room attack by two teammates that left him with a serious injury.
The lawsuit was filed Dec. 21 in Jefferson Circuit Court, alleging that Louisville violated NCAA rules when the school withdrew his athletic scholarship because a doctor told him that he could no longer play for the Cardinals due to the injuries. Grant claims that Strong promised to keep him on scholarship but then reneged.
Smith is seeking compensatory damages and restoration of his scholarship. He also wants a jury trial.
The attack took place Oct. 24, 2010, in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. The suit claims that a team trainer encouraged Grant on the way to a hospital for treatment to lie about the injuries being caused by teammates Jacob and Isaac Geffrad, who were dismissed from the team in November 2010.
Grant said he was beaten so badly that he nearly lost his left eye. The lawsuit lists Grant's injury as a fractured left eye socket that required two surgeries.
"Out of fear and desire to play, Patrick lied as instructed, telling the doctor that he was horsing around in the locker room and hit his eye on a locker door," the suit reads.
A Louisville spokesman would not comment on the pending suit.
A grand jury refused to indict the Geffrad brothers in July on first-degree assault charges.
