Malik McDowell was a second-round pick in April 2017, but never played for the Seahawks after suffering injuries in an ATV accident that summer and was released this March after two years on the non-football injury list.
The Seahawks are now trying recoup McDowell’s signing bonus. Matt Charboneau of the Detroit News reports that the team has filed suit in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan that alleges McDowell has failed to pay back $799,238 of that bonus.
Per the suit, an arbitrator ruled in February that McDowell’s ATV use represented a breach of his contract and called on the defensive lineman to repay his signing bonus of $1,599,238. The Seahawks recouped $800,000 by not paying McDowell’s salary for the 2018 season.
McDowell’s agent said in March that other doctors have cleared him to resume his football career. McDowell met with the Cowboys, but remains unsigned.