METAIRIE, La. -- Former New Orleans Saints cornerback Delvin Breaux has sued two former team doctors for negligence, claiming his leg injury was misdiagnosed in 2017.
Breaux wound up undergoing surgery to repair a fractured fibula during the 2017 preseason. Former team orthopedists Deryk Jones and Misty Suri initially diagnosed the injury as a bone contusion.
The case gained notoriety because it led to the Saints' decision to fire the orthopedists.
However, the Ochsner Health System, which employs the two doctors, said it found no evidence of a "misdiagnosis" when it reviewed Breaux's case in 2017. And Ochsner issued a statement Friday saying it "believes this lawsuit is unfounded."
The details of the suit were first reported by NOLA.com.
Breaux did not play for the rest of that 2017 season after suffering a setback in his recovery, then he went unsigned in 2018. He returned to the Canadian Football League over the past two years, where he was named an all-star.
Breaux, 30, claimed in the lawsuit that the initial diagnosis "caused him to continue with a physically demanding and strenuous practice regimen, causing severe pain, grievous injuries and damages."
It was reported at the time that the Saints considered trading Breaux before they got the second diagnosis of a fractured fibula, because they had grown frustrated with nagging injury issues that they felt he could have played through.
At the time, coach Sean Payton said the decision to fire the doctors was not based on "one event." Rather, "it probably builds up over a period of time," he said.
Ochsner explained at the time that "Our medical experts have stated that it is not uncommon for stress-related fractures to be unnoticeable in initial imaging; follow-up diagnostics are always required when a patient doesn't show appropriate clinical progress."
As Ochsner mentioned in its most recent statement, state law requires such claims to be presented to a medical review panel before a lawsuit can be field. And the panel "concluded that all defendants met the standard of care."
However one of Breaux's attorneys, Vincent Odom, told NOLA.com that the medical review is not final.
"That does not prevent a patient from filing a successful lawsuit in court," Odom told NOLA.com. "Our office stands by the allegations asserted in Mr. Breaux's lawsuit."