Lawyers say Chandler Parsons 'seriously injured' in car accident

“Morgan & Morgan has been retained by Mr. Parsons to help preserve all of his rights and navigate the legal process on his behalf in the wake of this terrible automobile crash,” attorneys John Morgan and Nick Panagakis said in a statement. “Chandler was seriously injured in this crash, which never should have occurred.”

According to that statement, Parsons suffered “multiple severe and permanent injuries” in the collision, including a traumatic brain injury, disc herniation and a torn labrum. Morgan & Morgan’s statement indicates Parsons was in “peak physical condition” before the accident and is now working with a team of doctors to regain his health. The statement also suggests the accident has the potential to end Parsons’ professional career.

When the Hawks first announced Parsons’ injuries last week, the team only diagnosed him with a concussion and whiplash, entering him into the NBA’s concussion protocol. It’s unclear if the disc herniation and torn labrum mentioned in Morgan & Morgan’s statement reflect injuries later identified by team doctors or if Parsons sought outside opinions.

Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes that the Hawks have updated their injury report to mention an “associated disc injury” in addition to “concussion/whiplash” for Parsons.

Parsons wasn’t part of the Hawks’ rotation before last week’s accident, having appeared in just five games this season for the team. Now that he’s out indefinitely, it appears he may have played his last game for the franchise — his contract will expire at season’s end. Hopefully the 31-year-old can fully recover from his injuries and eventually make it back to the court.

The Hawks are ineligible to apply for a disabled player exception to replace Parsons even if his injuries are deemed season-ending, since they’re under the cap and the January 15 deadline has passed.