Former Cowboy running back Ron Springs, 54, dies

[sbk92]

By Staff and wire reports


Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ron Springs, who spent the past four years in a coma after losing oxygen during a 2007 operation, has died at age 54 without ever regaining consciousness.

"Ron's life will always be remembered by the joy and laughter that he brought to others and the courage and toughness he displayed until the end," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. "Regardless of the circumstances, he always had a smile for everyone. The Dallas Cowboys have lost a wonderful member of our family, and we share our thoughts and prayers with his family."

Former Cowboys teammate Everson Walls , who donated a kidney to Springs for a transplant, says the Springs family informed him that his friend died about 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Medical City Dallas hospital.

The hospital is where Springs, who played in college at Ohio State, first slipped into the coma in 2007 after undergoing surgery to remove a cyst from his forearm.

Walls said the death came as a surprise.

He said funeral arrangements are pending.

Walls says, "He was such a worldly person who touched so many lives in every area code."

 

[Sheik]

Man, I thought this guy died 2 years ago.

RIP.

 

[sbk92]

Yeah, I can't believe he lingered that long.

Goes in for a cyst removal on his forearm. Never comes out. WTF.

 

[Cythim]

Yeah, I can't believe he lingered that long.

Goes in for a cyst removal on his forearm. Never comes out. WTF.

That is pretty bad. I heard a story a few years back of a girl who went in for a boob job and died from a reaction to the anesthesia.

 

[Cr122]

RIP, Ron.

 

[Rock Slamdance]

RIP

 

[sbk92]

Family attorney issues statement on Springs' death, pending lawsuit

Rainer Sabin / Reporter


An attorney for the family of Ron Springs, the retired Cowboys running back who died Thursday at the age of 54, issued a statement Friday.

In 2008, Springs' wife, Adriane, filed a malpractice lawsuit against two doctors, claiming they had caused Springs' brain damage during the surgery at Medical City Dallas Hospital to remove a cyst from his forearm. Springs had been in a coma since the operation and never regained consciousness before his death.

"The Springs family is profoundly grieving the loss of Ron Springs," said attorney Les Weisbrod of Miller Weisbrod LLP. "His body is with the Dallas County Medical Examiner's office. There will be no further statements until the Medical Examiner has concluded his work.

"The lawsuit will continue but damages the Springs family can recover will be further limited because there is a $250,000 non-economic damages cap and a medical malpractice case death cap which cannot exceed $1.7 million including the $250,000 non-economic limit, plus recovery of past medical expenses. Ron Springs' death is truly a tragedy which could have been prevented had he received appropriate medical care back in October 2007."

Less than eight months before the operation, Springs made national headlines when he received one of former teammate Everson Walls' kidneys in a transplant. Springs had been ravaged by diabetes, and his right foot was amputated in 2005. Walls could not bear to see his friend and former colleague continue to suffer. On Thursday, after Springs had passed, he said he was frustrated, angry and despondent.

"Any emotions I have is because of the sadness his family is feeling right now," Walls said. "To me they were the ones who would have liked to talk to him more than anybody. That cuts really deep."