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Former Texas A&M defender says he was ‘abandoned’ after suffering injury in 2019
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Former Texas A&M cornerback Elijah Blades, who played for Jimbo Fisher in 2019, has filed a civil suit against the NCAA and power conferences in which he challenges their amateur model, according to a report from KBTX’s Travis L. Brown.
In that complaint, Blades claims he was “abandoned” on the A&M practice field after tearing his hamstring during a practice in 2019. According to the complaint, Blades said coaches and teammates “left him alone on the practice field because they were disappointed with his perceived ineffective play after he injured himself.” Blades alleges he then “hobbled” 800 yards to the football facilities through rain and mud.
The complaint goes on to claim that Blades received no apology from anyone affiliated with the football program after the extent of his injury was revealed.
According to Brown’s reporting, neither A&M nor any members of the A&M athletic department or coaching staff at the time were directly named as defendants in the case. The complaint is part of Fontenot v. NCAA antitrust lawsuit filed in the United States District Court in the District of Colorado.
Head coach Mike Elko was serving as Fisher’s defensive coordinator at the time.
“Since this is a legal proceeding, Texas A&M will not have any comment,” a spokesperson for the Aggie athletic department said in a statement provided to KBTX. “I can say the health and well-being of our Aggie student-athletes is paramount.”
Blades played in 7 games for A&M during the 2019 season. He signed with he program as one of the top junior college recruits in the country. Blades later transferred to Florida, where he would appear in 3 games before being dismissed from the program. He ended his career at Buffalo in 2022.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
