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Three former UCLA linemen file lawsuits against school, coach Jim Mora over alleged mishandled injuries

The three former offensive lineman are seeking more than $15 million in damages for injuries they sustained while playing at UCLA.
The three former offensive linemen are seeking more than $15 million in damages for injuries they sustained while playing at UCLA. (Jordon Kelly/Getty Images)

Three former UCLA offensive linemen filed lawsuits against the university and former coach Jim Mora this week for injuries they suffered while playing for the Bruins, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The lawsuits — filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court — name Mora, offensive line coach Adrian Klemm, associate trainer Anthony Venute, the university and the NCAA. The three linemen, each seeking more than $15 million in damages, allege that coaches and trainers at the school mishandled their injuries.

“Each of these young men suffered serious, but significantly different injuries, while they were teammates at UCLA,” their attorney, Pamela Tahim Thakur, said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “While the lawsuits involve many of the same facts, each case is distinct in its own way. But what they all have in common is the pattern of brutality and intentional disregard for player health and safety by coach Mora and his staff at UCLA.”

The allegations against UCLA

Two former offensive linemen, John Lopez and Poasi Moala, allege in the lawsuit that they suffered “traumatic head injuries” and “continue to experience symptoms linked to chronic traumatic encephalopathy,” or CTE, according to the report.

Lopez attempted suicide in 2016 by overdosing on prescription and over-the-counter medications, according to the Los Angeles Times, and claims that the injuries he suffered at UCLA both prevented him from graduating and caused “emotional pain, suffering and distress.” He also claims he was “rushed back to play” without proper concussing protocol during training camp both in 2013 and 2014, and that he was often ridiculed for being injured. Klemm, he alleges, even created a drill that encouraged his teammates to “f—- him up!” after he was injured.

Lopez suffered a third concussion in 2015, which forced him to quit football. He once left a team banquet “in the midst of a full-fledged panic attack,” and is now “so wrought with anxiety that he cannot stand to be around his former teammates or even risk running into them on campus, making it all but impossible for him to continue his education,” according to the report.

Moala — who played at UCLA from 2013-2017 — says he suffered multiple concussions and severe hip injuries, which required two surgeries. He alleges that he was regularly ignored and ridiculed when he complained of injury, and was never taken seriously.

Zach Bateman, the third offensive lineman who played at UCLA from 2015-2017, allegedly endured severe injuries to both of his feet that “occurred and worsened because of negligent conduct.” Bateman, per the report, also alleges he was discouraged from seeking medical attention for the injuries and was encouraged to return to play before he was fully healed.

“Players had to be more than tough if they wanted to keep a starting spot and if they were injured. They could never let it slow them down if they wanted to succeed,” the lawsuit states, via the Los Angeles Times.

UCLA denied the accusations, and said it thinks its concussion protocol “is among the strongest in the country.”

“While we cannot comment on the specific details of a pending lawsuit, we want to make it clear that the health and safety of our student-athletes is UCLA’s top priority,” UCLA said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “We strongly deny and will defend ourselves against the allegations made in the lawsuit. We handle every injury with the highest standard of care, and take potential head injuries very seriously.”

Mora coached at UCLA from 2012-2017, compiling a 46-30 record while reaching a bowl game four times. He won just nine games in his final two seasons with the Bruins, and was replaced by Chip Kelly.

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