Last year, the Texans abruptly ditched their grass-based field system after only one home game. The move came one year too late for DeMeco Ryans.
The former Texans linebacker has sued the team and the league for an Achilles tendon injury suffered at NRG Stadium on November 2, 2014. Ryans at the time was playing for the Eagles in a game against the Texans.
Filed Friday, the lawsuit names the Texans, the NFL, and the Harris County Convention Sports Corp., and stadium-management company SMG as the defendants.
The Texans have not yet responded to a request for comment; the NFL had no comment. The team and the league likely will argue that Ryans can pursue relief not in court but through the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
In 2012, former Texans punter Brett Hartmann sued the Harris County Convention Sports Corp. and SMG for a career-ending ACL injury suffered on the grass field. Hartmann did not sue the team or the league.