Club Dive Costs Bledsoe, Lane
The woman who sued New England Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe and lineman Max Lane over a notorious dive from a nightclub stage reportedly has agreed to a settlement.
The Boston Globe on Friday reported that Tameeka Messier will collect $1.2 million in the settlement, which also involves the band Everclear and the Paradise Rock Club.
Paradise owner Seth Greenberg detailed the proposed settlement for The Globe.
The deal had not been signed, Greenberg said, but had been agreed to "in principle."
"It's on the table now, and it's just a matter of dotting the I's and crossing the T's," he told the paper.
Messier sued the Paradise, the players and Everclear, claiming she was seriously injured when Bledsoe and Lane dove off the stage into the crowd.
Messier, who was 23 at the time, underwent surgery to remove two damaged disks from her neck and take pieces of hip bone to fuse her spinal column.
Steve Comen, Lane's attorney, told The Associated Press on Friday that the settlement had not been finalized, "but I expect that within a very short period of time a settlement will be documented and finalized."
"The details of the settlement are confidential but the details reported in The Globe are not accurate," Comen said.
The Globe reported that insurance companies for the Paradise and Everclear would each pay $100,000. Bledsoe would contribute $400,000 and Lane would pay $600,000.
Bledsoe's contract is worth $42 million over 7 years while Lane earns $11 million over five years.
Bledsoe, who weighs 235 pounds, and Lane, who weighs 305 pounds, admitted they dived off the stage on Nov. 13, 1997, but said they did not cause Messier's injuries.
Calls to lawyers for Bledsoe, the Paradise and Messier were not immediately returned Friday.
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