Ex-Giants outfielder Williamson sues team over concussion originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Mac Williamson is suing the Giants over the concussion he sustained as a member of the team in April 2018 when he tripped over the bullpen mound at Oracle Park and hit his head.
“My life hasn’t been the same since suffering the injury,” Williamson said in a statement released by a public relations firm for Williamson’s San Francisco-based attorney, Randy Erlewine.
The defendant is China Basin Ballpark Company LLC, which is controlled by the Giants' partnership group.
Giants officials declined to comment. Instead, the team issued a statement to The San Francisco Chronicle.
“MLB and its clubs have a longstanding practice of addressing claims arising from player injuries through the collectively-bargained grievance procedure and the worker’s compensation system,” the statement said.
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“Williamson’s claims are properly resolved through these processes, not through the courts.”
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The Giants recognized the dangers of the bullpens and moved them behind the center-field fence starting in the 2020 season.
Williamson, 30, sustained his concussion on April 24, 2018, in a 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals. Through five games, Williamson was batting .316 with three home runs and six RBI at the time. He never was the same player after the concussion.
Williamson returned to the Giants one month after his injury. He finished the season batting just .213 and only hit one more home run, nearly two months post-concussion. San Francisco's former third-round draft pick appeared in only 15 games for the Giants in 2019 and hit .118 before being designated for assignment in May. He did not play in the major leagues this season.
"The concussion ended my career and left me with lifelong injuries that have also taken a significant toll on my personal life,” Williamson’s statement read, according to the Chronicle. “I suffer nausea, trouble sleeping, mood swings, and other issues.
“I wake up every day hoping that today is a better day and that I will get closer to how I felt before the injury.”
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San Francisco-based attorney Randy Erlewin said Tuesday on a Zoom news conference, according to the Chronicle, “Based on Mac's talent level and performance, we believe he was due to earn tens of millions of dollars, as is common with many major-league power hitters.”
Williamson spent four-plus seasons with San Francisco. He hit .207 with 14 home runs as a Giant, and is a career .203 hitter in the major leagues.
