SEATTLE — A former University of Washington football player has filed suit against the program and members of its medical staff, alleging it was negligent in the treatment of his knee injuries during his time with the Huskies.
Emeka Megwa, now at the University of Oklahoma, filed the lawsuit in King County Superior Court earlier this week. Megwa initially enrolled at UW in September 2021.
Per the lawsuit, Megwa specifically chose Washington because he was told during his recruitment that the program could manage his rehabilitation from an ACL injury suffered in June 2021.
Megwa said Dr. Albert Gee, the team physician for UW Athletics, predicted a 9-12 month recovery for Megwa. This put him on track to return from the injury to 100% between April and July, putting him on track to play during the 2022 fall season.
The suit alleges that after UW fired former head coach Jimmy Lake in November 2021, his rehabilitation plan changed. Megwa says the new staff under head coach Kalen DeBoer did not communicate "how they would transition or progress his rehab program."
Megwa says in January, coaches began pushing him into team activities before he was fully medically cleared. He says he repeatedly told trainers and staff about his leg pains during and after workouts, but he was not referred to a physician at any point.
The lawsuit alleges that Megwa was called a "p---y" during workouts, and was once told, "Drop your f-----g nuts and get on the f-----g line, that’s some p---y a-- sh--!”
He alleges this treatment continued until he could no longer run during workouts, and on March 7, 2022, an MRI revealed "another left ACL tear, with new medial and lateral meniscus tears."
Megwa adds that once UW learned he was getting a revision of his left ACL reconstruction with his original surgeon in Texas, the team decided it did not want him anymore and a UW coach told him to enter the transfer portal at his spring exit meeting. The lawsuit does not name the coach, but Lee Marks was named the UW running backs coach and assistant head coach in 2022. He served in the same capacity during the 2023 season, but does not appear to have been retained by new UW head coach Kalen DeBoer after he left to accept the University of Alabama's head coaching vacancy.
Megwa transferred to the University of Oklahoma, where he sat out the entire 2022 football season to recover from the knee injury. He was limited to just two games and one carry during the 2023 season with the Sooners, during which time the lawsuit says he "required ongoing surgical treatment of his knee."
UW released a statement to KING 5 in response to the lawsuit: "The health and safety of student athletes is of paramount importance to the University. Any claim or allegation pertaining to student athlete wellbeing is reviewed and addressed by the proper university department. The university is aware that certain allegations have been made. Given the potential for litigation and the obligation to observe student privacy rights, it is not appropriate to comment on the matter."
Megwa is seeking unspecified damages, and court records indicate a trial date is set for March 2025.
