Ex-MLB Player Ruf Sues Reds Over Knee Injury From Tarp Collision
Former MLB first baseman and outfielder Darin Ruf, who played nine big-league seasons between 2012 and 2023, sued the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, claiming the team is negligent under Ohio law for his bloody collision with a tarp roller two years ago at Great American Ball Park.
Ruf was playing first base for the Milwaukee Brewers against the Reds on June 2, 2023, when in the bottom of the third inning, he collided with a tarp roller while chasing a ball into foul territory and left the game injured. Ruf, now 38, hasn't played in any games since.
Advertisement
More from Sportico.com
In a complaint filed by attorneys Tad Thomas and Christopher W. Goode in the Hamilton County (Ohio) Court of Common Pleas, Ruf contends the tarp roller was a dangerous and hidden condition that imperiled players' safety.
The tarp roller, Ruf points out, was made of sharp metal and lacked any protective cushioning or cap. Ruf says the end of the roller wasn't visible because it was 'obscured from view by an advertisement cover for Gorilla Glue.' Ruf blames the Reds grounds crew for failing to maintain safe conditions and allowing 'a state of disrepair.'
Players suing over injuries caused or worsened by field conditions are rare but not unprecedented.
Advertisement
In 2018, a St. Louis jury awarded Reggie Bush $12.5 million in damages for an ACL tear he sustained after slipping on an uncovered concrete surface in the Edward Jones Dome during a game in 2015. The surface bordered the playing field, and Bush was running at full speed and couldn't stop. The jury concluded the condition was unsafe and that Bush's injury was caused by the negligence of the Los Angeles Rams, who were the St. Louis Rams when Bush was hurt.
The Reds did not respond to a request for comment, but their attorneys will answer Ruf's complaint in the weeks ahead. Expect the team to offer several defenses.
One likely defense is preemption, which is a major reason why pro athletes in leagues with collective bargaining agreements typically don't sue over injuries. Section 301 of the Labor Management Relations Act (LMRA)—a federal law that regulates the relationship between unionized workers and management—contains language that preempts state law claims when those claims are based on rights contained in a CBA.
MLB's CBA with the MLBPA features language regarding player injuries. Article XIII is particularly relevant. It governs safety and health and details a joint MLB-MLBPA advisory committee charged with addressing 'emergency safety and health problems as they arise.' The committee also 'attempts to find solutions' that ensure 'safe and healthful working conditions for players.' The Reds will likely argue the duty to maintain safe field conditions is a collectively bargained term and thus LMRA preempted.
Advertisement
That type of legal argument doesn't always work. In 2018, a federal judge in Illinois rejected it when raised by the Chicago White Sox and other parties were sued by former New York Yankees outfielder Dustin Fowler.
In 2017, Fowler made his MLB debut in a game at Guaranteed Rate Field (now called Rate Field) in Chicago. In the first inning he chased down a line drive and ran full speed into an unpadded metal electrical box positioned between a railing and a half wall. The collision caused the patella tendon in Fowler's knee to rupture. He sued and a judge rejected the preemption defense on grounds that the CBA didn't diminish the White Sox's duty of care, including when the subject of state law claims. According to court records, the parties reached a settlement in 2022.
Fowler recovered from the injury and was notably involved in a blockbuster 2017 midseason trade that sent him to the Oakland A's as part of the deal that netted the Yankees pitcher Sonny Gray. But the outfielder, once the No. 88 prospect in baseball according to Baseball America, never managed to deliver upon his promise in an MLB career that petered out in 2021.
The Reds could also argue that even if Ruf's claims aren't preempted, the field conditions were sufficiently safe. The Reds would strengthen that defense if they could show the tarp roller was placed in a manner consistent with industry standards in MLB. In other words, the more ordinary the condition of the roller, the better for the Reds. But if tarp rollers are supposed to have cushioning or caps when used on MLB fields, that could be a problem for the Reds. Expert testimony by former groundskeepers and others with relevant expertise could prove influential.
Advertisement
Assumption of risk is also a relevant legal concept. Athletes assume all sorts of health risks by playing a sport. MLB teams place tarps and players, especially ones with as much experience as Ruf, arguably should be aware of tarp-related hazards. Ruf's complaint anticipates this defense by depicting the tarp roller as hidden and unexpected.
The Reds also don't own Great American Ball Park. It is a public facility of Hamilton County, Ohio. Public entities have an added legal defense known as sovereign immunity, which generally permits the government to be sued only when it agrees to be sued. However, there are a bevy of exceptions to sovereign immunity, and sometimes they involve personal injury claims. Also, even if the Reds don't own the field, they operate it for Reds games.
Ruf v. Reds could settle at any time, but if it advances past a motion to dismiss, the parties will need to provide testimony and share evidence related to the incident. The extent to which the tarp roller was unusually dangerous and the extent to which a veteran like Ruf should have been on the lookout would be key topics in pretrial discovery.
Best of Sportico.com
Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
31 minutes ago
- New York Times
NASCAR Michigan takeaways: Denny Hamlin's late-career strength, Ty Gibbs' frustration and more
BROOKLYN, Mich. — When 44-year-old Denny Hamlin recently went 11 months without winning a NASCAR Cup Series race, his most sought-after career goal seemed to be slipping away. No, we're not talking about a Cup championship — even though Hamlin is the best NASCAR driver never to win one. Hamlin would absolutely love a title, of course, but championships have a different meaning to some drivers these days with the playoff elimination system. Advertisement What Hamlin wants the most? To finish his career among the top 10 on NASCAR's all-time Cup Series wins list. And reeling off three more victories in less than two and a half months, including Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, suddenly makes that goal a bit more realistic. Hamlin now has 57 career wins, which is three away from tying Kevin Harvick for 10th on the all-time list. And the burst of momentum has left him speaking a bit differently about it. At first, Hamlin repeatedly said the goal was that 60-win mark. Then he said actually he'd like to win 61 so he could be in sole possession of 10th. But listen to him now after Sunday's win. 'At least while I'm alive, I want to be in the top 10 for the most wins,' he said. OK, but that's going to take even more than 61, Hamlin figures. 'I've got to count on possibly (Joey) Logano, more than likely (Kyle) Larson overtaking us in wins,' he said. 'You've got to budget for at least a couple of these guys who started so much younger than I did to beat us on the win total.' After Harvick, Kyle Busch is ninth with 63 career wins. Can Hamlin finish with more than Busch, who is still trying to add more himself? That seems like a big ask for someone who might only race for another couple seasons. After all, Hamlin recently passed 700 starts and said he won't be around for 800 (there are 36 races per year). 'I'm going to hate it when I'm not at the level I'm at now,' Hamlin said. 'I certainly will retire very, very quickly after that. I'm not going to hang around and do it just to do it. This is how I want to spend my last season — still winning.' We've seen other drivers suddenly stop winning in their mid-40s with virtually no warning, and Hamlin is already in rare territory: Only 10 of the 20 drivers who have made more than 700 career starts have won after their 700th race (a list which now includes Hamlin) and only six have even won multiple races. Advertisement Hamlin likes his chances of getting a few more, but he's also realistic: These races are hard to win, and Sunday could have been it. 'You have another birthday (and) you keep wondering how long are you going to be able to keep doing this at this level?' said Hamlin, who turns 45 in November. 'Listen, 57 (wins) might be it. None of us in this room know. I'm at least going to enjoy it as if it's my last, then I'll go to work on Monday, just like I always have.' Denny gets it done at @MISpeedway! — NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 8, 2025 As Hamlin celebrated in victory lane, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs was parked just behind the winner's circle backdrop — and in a much less cheerful mode. In fact, Gibbs was outright pissed. He wasn't having any of the consolation talk from his team or family, was uninterested in the moral victory of finishing third and brushed off a rear-end smack from his grandfather, Hall of Fame football coach Joe Gibbs. Gibbs, expected to contend for a playoff spot this year and win his first career race, has had a frustrating season. Michigan was only his second top-five finish, and he felt he was close enough to compete for the victory — especially since his teammate Hamlin was on a similar fuel strategy. 'I would rather go win,' the driver said. 'I don't come here to run third and run half-throttle on the straightaway, but it's what they thought we needed to do.' Gibbs was continuously instructed to save more gas, even when he was tracking down race leaders Hamlin and William Byron with four laps to go; the team urged him to back off just when it looked like he could have made a pass. 'He doesn't know how much we saved or if we were going to run out,' crew chief Tyler Allen said. 'So he's frustrated because he could see it and he was fast enough to go take it. Unfortunately, we weren't going to make it on fuel, and that wouldn't have done any good to our team and our points situation.' Advertisement But Gibbs disagreed, saying he saved enough fuel to go harder and ended the race without having to flip his reserve fuel switch (indicating there was perhaps another lap or so remaining). 'I was told to save more, and it's just frustrating for me,' Gibbs said. 'I would have loved to be more aggressive there.' Carson Hocevar was again a hot topic at Michigan after he led a career-high 32 laps before getting a flat tire while leading the race. But one thing that didn't happen, at least for now: On-track payback from Ricky Stenhouse Jr. After it seemed destined for Stenhouse to retaliate against Hocevar for their Nashville incident, the two spoke last week by phone — as did their crew chiefs and Spire Motorsports owner Jeff Dickerson with Stenhouse. The bottom line: Given their positions on the playoff bubble, it would be silly to continue the war. 'They all feel really bad about it and they can't give us back our points that we lost,' Stenhouse said Saturday. 'But if we get in a pissing match and I crash him this weekend and then we go back and forth, that does none of us good.' Still, Stenhouse said, Hocevar is on thin ice — not just with him, but the garage. After their Nashville incident, Stenhouse said, he received numerous texts from other competitors and team members who urged the veteran to either wreck Hocevar on purpose or fight Hocevar like Stenhouse did with Kyle Busch at last year's All-Star Race. 'It was a lot,' Stenhouse said of the volume of texts. 'It was kind of shocking. So I just told him that.' Hocevar reminded Stenhouse they've had no issues previously — and they actually communicate on occasion when Hocevar asks Stenhouse about his sprint car team. Stenhouse agreed they haven't had a problem before, but there's no third chance coming. Advertisement 'If it becomes a routine or it happens again…' Stenhouse said. 'As fast as your cars have been, you don't want to keep making people mad.' One group who doesn't seem mad? The fans at Michigan. Hocevar got one of the loudest cheers in driver introductions when walking out in front of his home crowd. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports were dealt a blow last week when the U.S. Court of Appeals' Fourth Circuit overturned a preliminary injunction that allowed the teams to race as charter teams in 2025. Barring any further appeals, the teams could be reduced to running as 'open' cars as soon as next month. But 23XI co-owner Hamlin said the teams remain 'very confident' in their lawsuit overall, drawing a sharp distinction between the case and the preliminary injunction decision. 'That's just such a small part of the entire litigation,' Hamlin said of the appeals court's decision. 'So I'm not deterred at all that we're in good shape.' What could change for the teams in the near future? Aside from taking a significant dip in money earned from each race, Hamlin said there won't be much difference. 'Same as what we said in December: We're committed to run this season open if we have to,' Hamlin said. 'We're going to race and fulfill all of our commitments no matter what. Our team is going to be here for the long haul, and we're confident of that.' As for the 23XI drivers, whose contracts allow them to become free agents if the organization does not provide them with charter cars, they were tight-lipped. 'I'm going to keep doing my part to try and show up as prepared as possible and continue winning races,' Tyler Reddick said. '… I've got to stay focused on what I can control. And that's my preparation.' Bubba Wallace cited Marshawn Lynch's 'I'm just here so I don't get fined' and said, 'you're not going to get an answer you want to hear from us.' Advertisement 'Come on, now,' Wallace said when another reporter tried to broach the topic. 'Let's talk about Michigan, dawg. You ain't getting no comment.' But whether they want to talk about it or not, losing charters could be a massive hit long term. The ripple effect if 23XI and Front Row don't get those charters back during the legal process would last for years and threaten the organizations' existences. Before finishing fourth on Sunday to record back-to-back top-six finishes, Wallace had some fun on X when NASCAR released the list of its inaugural in-season tournament competitors last week — in alphabetical order, meaning his name was last. 'Bubbles last like he always is,' Wallace captioned the tournament list in a quote-tweet. 'Bubbles' is just one of the derogatory nicknames used by Wallace's detractors, but he hasn't let go of his trolling nature on social media. After all, he pointed out, even his X header image is a troll post: A cartoon depiction of NASCAR's Mount Rushmore — showing Petty, Earnhardt, Johnson and … Wallace. Wallace said he sticks his shoe in ant hills in real life, and this is no different. 'It's the boomers who are actually pissed off,' he said. 'They're probably just punching air because I beat them to their own comments. So yeah, that brings me joy.' Chase Briscoe became the first driver in more than two years to win three consecutive pole positions (Kyle Larson in spring 2024), starting first at the Coke 600, Nashville and now Michigan. But Briscoe, who is yet to win this season, is too close to the playoff bubble for comfort after another disappointing result on Sunday (23rd). He said he's taken note of the mentality carried by his beloved Indiana Pacers — who stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder with a Game 1 comeback in the NBA Finals before getting blown out on Sunday night in Game 2. Advertisement 'It's the 'never give up' part,' he said. 'We've seen that even throughout my career. There was a time we were four laps down in one race and got back on the lead lap. It's definitely been fun to see a basketball team have that same mentality of never giving up. 'A lot of teams (give up) if they're down nine points with two minutes left, but the Pacers have continued to come back from huge deficits even when the other team thinks the game is already over. There's definitely something to that.' (Top photo of Denny Hamlin celebrating Sunday's win: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
New York Times
31 minutes ago
- New York Times
Rays shortstop Wander Franco charged with gun possession amid sexual abuse trial: Reports
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, currently on trial in the Dominican Republic on charges including sexual abuse of a minor, was charged Sunday with illegal possession of a gun, according to multiple reports. The latest charge comes after Franco was arrested Nov. 10 following an altercation that broke out in a San Juan de la Maguana parking lot. According to reports, a semiautomatic Glock 19 was found in Franco's vehicle. The gun was registered under Franco's uncle's name, and Antonio Garcia Lorenzo, one of Franco's lawyers, said that the gun was licensed. 'There's nothing illegal about it,' Lorenzo said. Prosecutors requested that Franco stand trial on the gun charge. Advertisement The 24-year-old was formally charged in July by prosecutors in the Dominican Republic with sexual and commercial exploitation of a minor. His trial is ongoing. According to prosecutors, testimony from the girl, who was 14 at the time of the complaint, and testimony from other members of her family, Franco paid the girl's mother thousands of dollars in cash and other gifts in exchange for the mother allowing him to engage in the alleged abuse of her daughter. MLB has opened an investigation into the allegations against Franco, and it remains ongoing. The Rays signed Franco to an 11-year, $182 million contract in November 2021. He hasn't played since the allegations emerged in August 2023.
Wall Street Journal
40 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
L.A. Gears Up for Another Day of ICE Protests
LOS ANGELES—The city geared up for another day of protests Monday after anti-ICE demonstrations in downtown Los Angeles escalated over the weekend. The California chapter of the Service Employees International Union planned for a rally before the arraignment of its president, David Huerta, who was arrested on Friday while protesting a raid by ICE agents in Los Angeles.
