After punching former teammate Tyson Walter on the practice field over three years ago, former Ohio State offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley was ordered by a jury in Franklin County Common Pleas Court Wednesday to pay Walter $6,000 in damages.
“He can have (the $6,000),” a smiling Bentley told reporters after the verdict was announced.
Bentley received a $1.6 million signing bonus when he signed with the New Orleans Saints last season.
“We are certainly pleased the jury returned a verdict in his favor,” said Todd Neuman, Walter’s attorney. “We certainly would have been more pleased with a higher number.”
Walter, who suffered a broken nose, fractured cheek and three fractured teeth from Bentley’s punch, sought several hundred thousand dollars from Bentley. Walter claimed that bacteria from the broken nose caused a hip infection which made Walter miss the 2000 season, which would have been his senior year.
The jury rejected the claim and awarded Walter, who now plays for the Dallas Cowboys, money to cover his medical bills.
Bentley punched Walter after a team conditioning workout on Feb. 17, 2000. Bentley’s attorney, James P. Connors, argued that Walter had provoked the fight. The jury agreed with Connors and that Walter knew the fight was going to happen, making it a mutual combat.
According to published reports, Bentley filed a countersuit against Walter, claiming defamation of character and ethnic intimidation, stemming from a letter Walter’s attorney wrote OSU just days before the 2001 Michigan game.
In the letter, Neuman claimed that a sports agency was providing Bentley with representation in Walter’s original suit. The letter sparked an investigation by OSU officials, and Bentley said he was cleared to play against the Wolverines just hours before kickoff.
The case is set for trial in August. However, after Wednesday’s verdict, Bentley said he was unsure whether he was going to pursue the case.
