Buffalo Bills running back Nyheim Hines had his season ended before it could begin as he suffered a torn ACL in July following a jet ski accident in North Carolina. Now, he's taking legal action over the incident.
News broke on Thursday that Hines had hired a lawyer to investigate the accident. Brad Sohn, the lawyer in question, released a statement on Twitter in which he vowed to "hold the necessary parties accountable."
"According to North Carolina authorities, Nyheim Hines was struck by a recklessly operating jet-skier traveling at potentially 40 mph and in violation of North Carolina's minimum watercraft education training requirements," Sohn said in the statement. "The reckless operator was cited by authorities as causing the accident. Nyheim, who's his boating license and was likely traveling at about 10 mph was not cited and has engaged my office to hold the necessary parties accountable for ending his season and costing him potentially many millions of dollars."
Sohn, a former college football player, partially specializes in professional sports injuries and has heard many players' cases. Most recently, he represented draft prospect Michael Jefferson after an alleged drunk driver collided head-on with Jefferson's car, forcing him to undergo multiple surgeries.
Previously, Hines and the Bills were reportedly in a financial dispute over his contract situation after the injury. After going on the non-football injury list, Hines and the team were at odds regarding his signing bonus, reportedly set at $500,000 this season. At the time, Hines' agent tweeted in part "It’s revealing when an employee is injured to see how a company takes care of its own."
Hines arrived in Buffalo after a mid-season trade with the Indianapolis Colts, and while he wasn't too prominent on offense, he was a hugely important part of the return game. His shining moment came in the regular-season finale against the New England Patriots, when he returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game, being the first to do so in over a decade. With that game being the Bills' first since Damar Hamlin's injury, it made for a storybook moment in Buffalo.
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