Missouri State University agreed to pay six-figure settlements to two former basketball players who claim they were injured while undergoing cryotherapy sessions in 2018.
Abdul-Hakim Fofana, who suffered career-ending injuries to his feet, received $295,000. Reggie Scurry, who suffered season-ending injuries, received $160,000, according to university documents obtained last week by the Springfield News-Leader through a Sunshine Law request.
In exchange, the men agreed to dismiss their lawsuits and accept the settlement as a "full and final release of all claims for personal injuries and damages" connected to the January 2018 incident. The equipment, designed to aid recovery by exposing an athlete's entire body to air super-cooled by liquid nitrogen, was brought into JQH Arena amid a losing streak.
A platform was removed from the chamber to accommodate Fofana's height. It was not replaced for Scurry's brief session. As a result, both athletes suffered injuries to their feet.
As reported by Claudette Riley, Fofana and Scurry each sued the university's Board of Governors and others after they were injured as a result of using a portable cryotherapy unit owned by Absolute Recovery Solutions LLC and operated by Kombat Cross Training.
Fofana signed his settlement in April, and Scurry signed in late July. Secrecy has been part of the case from the beginning, as first reported by the News-Leader in June 2018.
Related: Missouri State Freezes Cryotherapy Injury Findings
Missouri State University said in July 2018 that the university was paying the medical bills for Fofana, who never played again, and Scurry, who transferred to Middle Tennessee State, per Riley's reporting.
