Report: DeMeco Ryans suing NFL, Texans for injury suffered on shoddy field

After suffering a torn Achilles tendon on the previous grass-based field at NRG Stadium in a 2014 game against the Houston Texans, free-agent linebacker DeMeco Ryans filed a lawsuit Friday against the team and the league, reports Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.

While Ryans was playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, who released the veteran in February, he tore his Achilles on the Texans' field on Nov. 2, 2014. The injury ended his season, but he returned to the field in 2015, playing 14 games for the Eagles.

The playing surfaced was criticized by several players and teams before the team decided to switch to an artificial turf field after their first home game last season.

The 32-year-old's lawsuit names the Texans, the NFL, Harris County Convention Sports Corporation, and the stadium's management company, SMG, as defendants.

Florio, a former lawyer, points out that the league and team will likely push Ryans to resolve the issue through the collective bargaining agreement, rather than a trial.

Before his four seasons in Philadelphia, Ryans played six years for the Texans, going to two Pro Bowls and winning 2006 Defensive Rookie of the Year.