Ryan Mundy, Former NFL Player, Suing Helmet Manufacturer over 2014 Injury

Former Chicago Bears safety Ryan Mundy filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Schutt Sports for what he says was a faulty helmet during a 2014 preseason game.      

Per Matthew Hendrickson of the Chicago Sun-Times, citing a lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court, Mundy said he suffered a 5 ½-inch cut above his right eyebrow during an August game against the Seattle Seahawks as the result of a defective helmet.

After the injury initially occurred nearly two years ago, Mundy told Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune a representative from Schutt Sports was with the team days earlier to "put a protective pad inside the helmet of the other guys that are wearing Schutt helmets to cover up the edge that was kind of sharp."

Mundy also explained the play in question to Biggs:

"

Just taking on the fullback to force the ball back inside. I took on the fullback and upon contact there was a piece of my helmet and the edge was not as smooth as it needed to be. Upon contact that pad was pressed against my head and sliced my head open. That was the explanation that was given to me.

It was a violent collision and afterward I felt it and I said, ‘Oh, something is not right there.’ My helmet was holding was compressing my head from bleeding too much. So when I took it off it was, ‘I gotta get fixed.

"

Hendrickson noted Mundy said he now has a scar above his eye and skin discoloration where the injury occurred. He is seeking "unspecified damages" in the lawsuit. Mundy signed a two-year contract with the Bears in March 2014, starting all 16 games in his first season with the team. 

He missed the entire 2015 season after being placed on injured reserve in the preseason because of a hip injury. The 31-year-old, who has also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants, is currently a free agent.