New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - Bentley being sued for $2 million

http://espn.go.com/nfl/columns/clayt...n/1542583.html

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By John Clayton
ESPN.com

Saints guard LeCharles Bentley earned Pro Bowl votes as a rookie, but he can't believe what one punch has done to his offseason

Bentley is in the midst of a 2ÃƒÂ‚Ã‚Â½ week civil suit in Columbus, Ohio, filed by former Ohio State teammate Tyson Walter. What started as a $50,000 civil assault suit for a broken nose in 2000 has escalated into a $2 million lawsuit in which Walter claims he developed a hip infection that cost him the 2000 season.

The crazy part about all of this is that Walter and Bentley were teammates, who may not have liked each other off the field, but had to play most of their college careers next to each other.

Part of Walter's suit is trying to convince a jury that a broken nose could turn out to be the cause of a hip infection that sidelined him for a college season.

"How this injury goes from a broken nose to a hip infection five months later is beyond me," Bentley said.

Walter is claiming that the hip infection was linked to a practice field incident that dates back to Feb. 17, 2000 when the Ohio State football team was in its winter conditioning drills. Bentley claimed that Walter was "jabbering" and cracked a joke and that Walter confronted him for laughing too long.

Bentley was a sophomore at the time, two years younger than Walter.

After what he said was an off-color racial remark, Bentley confronted Walter in the locker room.

"I told him after break down I was going to break him down," Bentley said.

True to his word, Bentley walked to the middle the field after the final stretching after the workout and set up to fight Walter. One punch by Bentley ended the dispute.

He missed the 2000 season but bounced back in 2001 to become Ohio State's offensive lineman of the year that year and eventually a sixth-round choice of the Cowboys. The lawsuit was filed the Tuesday before the Buckeyes Outback Bowl game against South Carolina that year.

In the initial lawsuit, Walter clamed he suffered a broken nose, checkbone and teeth.

"It says a lot about him that he filed the lawsuit right before the Outback Bowl," Bentley said.

Bentley is bringing in former Ohio State coach John Cooper and several former teammates to testify in his behalf. He is trying to establish in court that Walter was an unpopular player who was prone to make off-color remarks.

Despite the lawsuit, Bentley and Walter played on the same line in 2001 and earned All-Big 10 first-team honors. Bentley went to the Saints in the second round of last year's draft and earned some Pro Bowl votes. Walter was a sixth-round choice of the Cowboys and ended up starting almost half the season.

How the incident escalated into a $2 million is anyone's guess. Walter is claiming that the missed 2000 season cost him a chance to become a higher draft choice in the NFL. He's asking for lost salary and around $1 million in punitive damages.

Walter brought in a doctor to say that the hip infection was caused by the broken nose. The infection developed before the start of the 2000 season.

A good part of the case that will be developed this week is to try to prove that Walter was not a popular member of the Ohio State team.

Former strength coach Dave Kennedy said, "Tyson was never one of the guys."

A jury has been assembled to decide the merits of the claims.

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

what is this world coming too?!?