RB Joe Montgomery (official thread)

[Deuces Wild Dj]

Does anyone out there know what Joe is up to these days? He was one of my favorite Buckeyes.

 

[gost8]

I know he works for 1460 the fan during football season

 

[Bleed S & G]

Channel 6 reporting Joe is suing tOSU - claims a false medical report costs him millions of dollars.

 

[MaxBuck]

Montgomery now suing Ohio State according to 10TV. Very disappointing. Claims that a "high blood pressure" diagnosis by OSU docs was in error and cost him "millions of dollars" in earnings as a pro.

No, Joe, what cost you millions in earnings is that you were not a good enough professional running back. Quit blaming your problems on others and drop the stupid lawsuit.

 

[jwinslow]

Waiting until now should really help his cause, unless something new just surfaced.

 

[NateG]

If he would allow himself to be a good alumni and a spokesman of the university, it seems as if they take care of you. Right Arch???

He also was given over 6 figures on his way out.... oh the things I could do with 6 figures.

 

[ScriptOhio]

But he had a pro career, he was in the NFL 4 years. He had his chances; and he didn't exactly put up all pro numbers. I'm sure every year he passed a physical (including blood pressure) to make the team (Giants and Panthers). I don't see how a "high blood pressure" diagnosis by OSU doctors (if there really was a misdiagnosis here) cost him millions; especially since he did make over a million dollars (actually $1,251,182 according to the USAToday) in the NFL (from 2000-2002), And that doesn't even count his rookie year (1999). Not bad for a NFL running back who had a 4 year career of only 123 carries, 372 yards, 3.0 average, 4 TDs.

Joe Montgomery: Career Stats

USATODAY.com

My guess is that the only people that are going to come out ahead on this one are the lawyers.:(

 

[jlb1705]

He also was given over 6 figures on his way out.... oh the things I could do with 6 figures.

Two chicks at the same time?

 

[buxfan4life]

Guess he has been talking to Jim Brown.

 

[Jagdaddy]

I didn't realize that a false high blood pressure diagnosis caused on to blow one's knee . . . and I rather doubt that NFL teams give a crap about a player's high blood pressure anyway: I don't see how it would affect on-field performance, and the NFL isn't exactly known for giving a damn about the long-term health of its players.

 

[Buckeye86]

don't NFL teams perform their own physical on players anyways?

 

[Buckskin86]

Former Buckeyes' running back Joe Montgomery files lawsuit against Ohio State
By Doug Lesmerises, The Plain Dealer
January 08, 2010

Former Ohio State running back Joe Montgomery is suing the university.

AP
Former Ohio State running back Joe Montgomery during his playing days.

Montgomery filed a defamation complaint in Columbus today, claiming that before he was taken in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft, Ohio State incorrectly reported to the league that Montgomery had been diagnosed with high blood pressure disease. Montgomery discovered the medical report in July of 2009 and said it has hindered his worker's compensation claim with the NFL.

Montgomery claims the medical report also negatively affected his draft status and could impact his NFL disability benefits in the future. Montgomery said he is basically disabled from football injuries.

"I'm 33 years old, and because of my many disabilities I have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning," Montgomery said in a statement released by his lawyer. "I'm a victim, but I'm not looking for sympathy. I just want the truth to be told."

Former Buckeyes' running back Joe Montgomery files lawsuit against Ohio State | Doug Lesmerises' Buckeye Blog - cleveland.com - cleveland.com

Ex-Ohio State Running Back Sues University
Friday, January 8, 2010

COLUMBUS, Ohio ? Former Ohio State running back Joe Montgomery filed a defamation lawsuit against the university on Friday for falsely reporting a medical condition he did not have.

The complaint was filed in the Ohio Court of Claims, according to his attorney.

Montgomery, now 33, played at Ohio State from 1994-99, missing the 1997 season with a leg injury.

According to the complaint, Montgomery said that in August he discovered that the university, in a medical report issued to the National Football League before he was drafted in 1999, erroneously said that he had been diagnosed with high blood pressure disease and hay fever while he attended Ohio State.

In July, a California internist used the university's 11-year-old medical report to the NFL as the basis to conclude that Montgomery suffered from hypertension before his rookie season with the New York Giants.

When questioned, Hyman admitted that he used the information provided in the NFL medical form completed by the university, the complaint stated.

When Montgomery discovered the information and that it was damaging his workers' compensation claim, he immediately contacted Ohio State officials, including Athletic Director Gene Smith, the team's head physician and members of the university's legal department, the complaint stated.

On Sept. 22, the university issued a statement that said it stood by its 1998 medical report to the NFL, but admitted that contrary to the report to the NFL, Montgomery's records showed he was never diagnosed with high blood pressure disease nor was he ever prescribed medication for it, his attorneys said.

Montgomery's attorneys claim the report cost made him a lower pick in the NFL draft that cost him millions of dollars in his contract and signing bonus.

The university is reviewing the lawsuit, according to a statement released by Ohio State.

"We do not believe that we did anything improper, and disagree with the claims in the lawsuit," said Jim Lynch, a university spokesman. "It is very rare to see a lawsuit such as this from a former student athlete, but we are prepared to provide the courts with the justification and reasoning behind our decisions."

Ex-Ohio State Running Back Sues University | WBNS-10TV, Central Ohio News

 

[Buckskin86]

Former running back sues university
Saturday, January 9, 2010
By Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Joe Montgomery says a false medical report limited his disability claims with the NFL.

Former Ohio State running back Joe Montgomery is suing the university over what he says were false entries on a medical report forwarded to the NFL before the 1999 draft. He says the report has come back to haunt him as he seeks disability payments from the league.

"Saying this is difficult is an understatement," Montgomery said yesterday. "Anybody who knows anything about me knows I love the university with all my heart. I left everything on the field for our school."

But through his attorney, Norman Abood of Toledo, Montgomery filed a defamation suit in the Court of Claims in Columbus. He seeks more than $25,000 for damages ranging from lost wages to insurance disability benefits, according to the suit.

It contends that OSU football trainer Doug Calland, in filling out the report in October 1998, entered erroneously that Montgomery, a senior, had high blood pressure and hay fever. Montgomery charges that it hurt him in the draft, though he was taken in the second round (49th overall) by the New York Giants despite being a backup most of his career at Ohio State.

He contends that 11 years later, in July 2009, a physician conducting a medical evaluation of Montgomery for the California Division of Workers' Compensation cited that information when deciding that Montgomery's current medical problems were due "50 percent" to pre-existing conditions before he entered the NFL. He was in the league four seasons through 2002, playing sparingly the last three because of injuries.

The diagnosis substantially cut any disability payments from the league.

Montgomery said that, last September, he asked Ohio State -- including Calland, team chief physician Dr. Chris Kaeding, athletic director Gene Smith and legal personnel -- to issue a report saying entries on the 1998 medical evaluation were false. It instead issued a legal statement saying the report was true.

The university stood by that statement yesterday after reviewing the suit, OSU media relations director Jim Lynch said.

"We do not believe that we did anything improper and disagree with the claims in the lawsuit," Lynch said. "It is very rare to see a lawsuit such as this from a former student-athlete, but we are prepared to provide the courts with the justification and reasoning behind our decisions."

Former OSU running back Joe Montgomery sues university | The Columbus Dispatch