Ohio appeals court OKs staph suit against Browns

A state appeals court has ruled in favor of former Cleveland Browns player LeCharles Bentley, saying the team can't force NFL arbitration to halt a lawsuit on his career-ending staph infection. The Ohio 8th District Court of Appeals in Cleveland on Thursday upheld a Cuyahoga County judge's ruling, saying the issue is not related to the collective bargaining agreement and can be handled in county court. Bentley's attorney has said he nearly died from the infection he contracted while rehabbing from a knee injury at the team's facility. The team is accused of persuading Bentley to rehab at the site and failing to tell him about unsanitary conditions and other players who had contracted staph. The team had argued that state and federal laws support arbitration over litigation.