Rams ordered to pay RB Bush $12.5 million for 2015 injury

[June 13, 2018]  A jury ordered the Los Angeles Rams to pay former NFL running back Reggie Bush $12.45 million on Tuesday in a lawsuit stemming from an injury Bush suffered at the Rams' stadium in St. Louis in 2015, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Per the Post-Dispatch, the jury awarded Bush $4.95 million in compensatory damages and $7.5 million in punitive damages after finding the then-St. Louis Rams 100 percent liable.

"I'm very happy with the verdict," Bush told the Post-Dispatch. "The people spoke and decided very fairly."

During a game on Nov. 1, 2015 at what was then called the Edward Jones Dome, Bush ran out of bounds at the end of a play and slipped on a concrete surface between the outer perimeter of the field and the walls of the stadium seats, suffering a torn meniscus that ended his season.

Bush, now 33, played one more NFL season, tallying minus-3 rushing yards on 12 carries across 13 games with the Buffalo Bills in 2016. He announced his retirement last year.

One week before Bush's injury, then-Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown was unable to stop himself on the concrete and ran into the wall before falling on his back. He injured his shoulder on the play, though he played the next week.

For the Rams' first home game after Bush's injury, on Nov. 15, the concrete perimeter was covered with rubber padding.

49ers running back Reggie Bush (23) attempts to catch a pass while defended by Minnesota Vikings cornerback Xavier Rholdes (29) in the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Bush had also sued public agencies that owned and operated the stadium, but a judge dismissed them from the suit while noting the Rams controlled the state of the stadium for NFL games.

The 2015 season was the Rams' last in St. Louis before the team moved to Los Angeles. The stadium is now called Dome at America's Center.

One juror told the Post-Dispatch after the trial that the verdict favoring Bush, "has nothing to do with the Rams leaving. It's just about the injury."

--Field Level Media

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