As a kid, Joe Jurevicius grew up rooting for the Browns. As an adult, Jurevicius got a chance to play for them. And now the arc is complete. He’s suing the team for giving him a staph infection. According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Jurevicius has filed a civil lawsuit in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. The defendants are the Browns, the Cleveland Clinic, former team physician Dr. Anthony Miniaci, and current team physician Dr. Richard Figler. Jurevicius, per Cabot, claims that the defendants committed negligence and fraud, resulting in the staph infection that possibly has ended his football career. Specifically, the complaint contends that the Browns and their doctors failed to warn Jurevicius that sterile techniques were not at all times used at the team’s training facility, that therapy devices used by multiple players were not properly maintained and/or cleaned, and that “community equipment” and “frequently used surfaces” were not properly cleaned. (And you guys thought Costanza was simply being a douche when he blew the whistle on the guy who didn’t wipe the sweat off the weight machines.) Jurevicius alleges that his January 2008 arthroscopic knee procedure resulted in seven additional surgeries to eradicate the infection. The Browns cut him in March, in lieu of paying a roster bonus. He has since not signed with a new team. It’s possible that the Collective Bargaining Agreement supersedes the claims against the Browns. We’re in the process of trying to figure that one out. Either way, it’s the first time that a Browns player has resorted to the legal system after contracting a staph infection. Given the team’s problems with staph infections date back to 2003, we’re surprised no one else has sued. And the reality is that, with each additional case of staph, the next case presents the player with more viable legal claims, because neither the team nor its physicians were able to correct the problem despite ample evidence of its existence. UPDATE: As to those of you who are pointing out that Costanza took up the cause of the unwiped weight machines only to blackmail the guy who was going to report George for peeing in the shower, please keep in mind that it’s all pipes.
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