A 54-year-old man has sued Steelers offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert, saying that Gilbert body slammed him and broke his leg in a confrontation at Gilbert’s home.
The man, Larry Parker, says in the lawsuit that he knows many Steelers players and staffers, said the confrontation began at the parking lot of the Steelers’ facility on January 11, when Parker was dropping off a Steelers staffer’s car. Parker says he “voiced a jesting greeting” to Gilbert and then drove off.
According to the lawsuit, Gilbert apparently took offense to that “jesting greeting” and began sending hostile text messages to Parker. Eventually Parker went to Gilbert’s house to discuss the matter, and according to Parker, Gilbert picked him up and slammed him onto the bricks outside Gilbert’s home.
Parker says he suffered a broken leg, a back injury and needed surgery. He is seeking more than $35,000 in damages. Gilbert has had nothing to say about the matter.