Projo Sox Blog

A former Red Sox catching prospect says he suffered permanent, career-ending injuries from a concussion, inner-ear problems, vomiting, headaches, vertigo and post-concussion syndrome as a result of being hit in the head by a bat-swinging Jose Offerman during an independent league baseball game on Aug. 14, 2007.

John Nathans, 29, who lives in Portland, Maine, has not played baseball since the incident, in which the former Red Sox All-Star Offerman charged the mound, bat in hand, after being hit by a pitch from Bridgeport Bluefish John Beech. Nathans tried to stop Offerman, but he ended up being hit in the head. Beech ended up with a broken finger on his non-pitching hand, and Nathans with much worse injuries.

Nathans described his battle to return from his injuries -- which leave him ultra-sensitive to light and unable to consistently catch a large rubber ball lobbed to him by a physical therapist -- in Tuesday's Boston Globe.

Offerman was arrested for the assault and ended up receiving two years' probation; he was also ordered to receive anger-management treatment and to pay for the medical expenses of Beech and Nathans. But Nathans has filed a $4.8-million lawsuit against Offerman and his former team, the Long Island Ducks.

"This lawsuit is all about making someone accountable for their actions," Nathans told The Globe. "There was no resolution to this. He walked away and lived his life.

"He's still in the game, playing baseball. I have not been allowed to live my life the way it was intended. My life is changed forever."

The Globe reports that Offerman, who played in the Mexican League last year and managed a team in the Caribbean World Series, has apologized for his actions in 2007, but not personally to Nathans. The newspaper was not able to reach Offerman for comment.

 Tags  Bridgeport Blues John Nathans Jose Offerman Long Island Ducks

---