Boxer Daniel Franco Sues JAY-Z and Roc Nation Sports After Suffering Brain Injury
Daniel Franco, a professional boxer who was forced into retirement after a near-fatal brain injury, has sued JAY-Z, Live Nation, and Roc Nation Sports for negligence, The Blast reports and court documents viewed by Pitchfork confirm.
The lawsuit claims that Franco asked Roc Nation Sports, his promoter, to postpone a scheduled fight on March 23, 2017. He says he had been out sick with the flu for three weeks and had not adequately trained. According to the lawsuit, Roc Nation Sports representatives told him he “must go forward with the fight” and told him that if he dropped out, he’d have difficulty securing future fights.
It was the first of three fights Roc Nation scheduled for Franco within a 79-day period. Franco lost the first fight on March 23, 2017 in a technical knockout. The second fight took place on May 12, 2017. In the third fight against Jose Haro on June 10, 2017, Franco was knocked out and suffered a near-fatal brain hemorrhage, which left him in a coma, had a piece of his skull removed in surgery, and now is required to wear a helmet to protect the left side of his head. According to the lawsuit, it was later discovered that he suffered two skull fractures and a separate brain bleed from one of the two other fights.
“Had an MRI or other brain imaging been performed, the fractures and hemorrhage would have been discovered prior to the June 10, 2017 fight, necessitating a cancellation,” the lawsuit claims. Franco is seeking unspecified damages.
Pitchfork has reached out to Roc Nation representatives for comment.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
