Tyrod Taylor might become an answer to a trivia question some day. The NFL journeyman was atop the Chargers’ quarterback depth chart before he was usurped by Justin Herbert, who’s in line to be a star in Los Angeles for years to come.
Given Herbert’s rapid ascent to stardom, it’s become easy to forget how he landed the QB1 job in LA. Herbert’s first NFL start wasn’t a planned one, as a bizarre medical situation involving Taylor vaulted the then-rookie into a starting role. The rest is history.
Well, the wild ordeal reclaimed the national spotlight Sunday when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Taylor, who suffered a punctured lung on the day Herbert made his debut, is suing the Chargers doctor who treated him for his rib injury two years ago. According to Schefter, the New York Giants’ backup quarterback is seeking at least $5 million.
The lawsuit, in which Taylor is suing David S. Gazzaniga and the orthopedic institute he operates, was filed in May of last year. The trial was initially scheduled to take place this November but since has been moved to April to accommodate the NFL schedule, per Schefter.
“Taylor, 33, alleges in the lawsuit that he suffered ‘severe physical pain resulting in hospitalization, physical therapy, emotional distress and other past pain and suffering,” Schefter wrote in a column published Sunday.
“Taylor’s attorneys also contend that Gazzaniga’s ‘negligence, carelessness and other tortious, unlawful and wrong acts … caused (Taylor) to lose position as the starting quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers for the 2020 season,’ just before he was scheduled to become a free agent.”
As for the Chargers, they recently experienced somewhat of a full-circle moment involving Gazzaniga, who was a part of the group that treated Herbert after he suffered a rib injury in Thursday night’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
