Former Eagles linebacker DeMeco Ryans sues Texans, NFL over injury

Former Eagles linebacker DeMeco Ryans isn't on an NFL team this season, but he still seems to know how to pressure his opponents.

Neither Ryans nor the Texans could be immediately reached for comment.

The injury Ryans suffered as an Eagle in 2014 wasn't the first time he hurt himself playing on that field. According to the Inquirer's Jeff McLane, Ryans ruptured his left Achilles four years earlier in the same way (non-contact) and at the same spot (near the 10-yard line in the north end) at NRG Stadium. Ryans played with Houston from 2006 to 2011 and with the Eagles from 2012 to 2015.

After missing the remainder of the 2014 season, Ryans returned to play 14 games for the Eagles in 2015 before being released back in February, despite the fact he still had a year left on his contract. He was not re-signed by another team.

In 2014, Texans former No. 1 draft choice Jadeveon Clowney suffered a knee injury on the field, after landing in what safety D.J. Swearinger said was a "hole" in the turf at NRG Stadium.

At the time, the stadium grew natural grass outside the stadium in trays, which were then brought in and pieced together to create the playing surface. That system was eliminated in 2015, in favor of the field-turf surface now in place.

Ryans' lawsuit alleges that it took Clowney's injury for the team to finally address the problem.

"Then, and only then, was it time for Defendants to fix the problem," the lawsuit states.

This isn't the first time there has been a lawsuit over the field. In 2012, former Texans punter Brett Hartmann sued SMG and the Harris County Convention and Sports Corporation after suffering a career-ending ACL injury. The case was settled out of court.

Former Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker also tore his ACL during a game at NRG Stadium during the 2010 season, leading head coach Bill Belichick to blast the playing conditions on Boston radio.

"The turf down there is terrible," Belichick told WEEI. "It's terrible. It's just inconsistent. It's all the little trays of grass and some of them are soft and some of them are firm and they don't all fit well together, those seams. … Some of it feels like a sponge; some of it feels real firm and hard like the Miami surface. One step, you're on one; the other step, you're on another. I really think it's one of the worst fields I've seen."