Former Browns center LeCharles Bentley sues team over career-ending staph infection

Former Browns center Bentley sues team over staph

CLEVELAND — Former Cleveland Browns center LeCharles Bentley has filed a lawsuit against the team over a career-ending staph infection he says he contracted at the team’s facility.

Bentley’s attorney, Shannon Polk, said Thursday that the lawsuit filed in Cuyahoga (ky-uh-HOH’-guh) County Common Pleas Court seeks at least $25,000 in damages for alleged fraud and negligent misrepresentation. Bentley could seek more money in court.

Polk says Bentley nearly died from the infection while he was rehabbing from a knee injury. She says the Browns persuaded Bentley to rehab there and never told him about “a host of unsanitary conditions” or other players who had contracted staph there.

The Browns did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. Former Browns receiver Joe Jurevicius settled a similar lawsuit in June.