Photo via BBC Sport

USA midfielder sues doctors after on-pitch cardiac arrest

United States international Savannah DeMelo has initiated legal action against University of Louisville Health alongside medical practitioners Dr Jennifer Daily and Dr Sarabjeet Suri, alleging negligent treatment following her on-pitch medical emergency. The 28-year-old Racing Louisville midfielder, who owns seven caps for the national side and started two fixtures at the 2023 Women's World Cup, collapsed during opening-half NWSL action on 14 September 2025.

Exactly one year and one day later, her legal team submitted claims to Kentucky's Jefferson Circuit Court, asserting that the care providers' inadequate medical oversight contributed significantly to her life-threatening episode and ensuing severe physical damage.

According to the court filing, Dr Daily—the club's chief medical officer who supervised DeMelo between January 2024 and July 2026—directed the player to Dr Suri in March 2025 after she reported breathlessness, lightheadedness, and chest discomfort. Despite subsequent examinations, background assessments, and diagnostics, DeMelo went into cardiac arrest roughly six months afterward and received an ensuing diagnosis of ventricular tachycardia.

The career-long Racing Louisville player has remained sidelined from competitive action ever since, recently reflecting on social media about the difficult emotional journey and uncertainty she has endured since the undiagnosed arrhythmia caused her collapse.