[11-29-2024] – Ex-NFLer Brady Poppinga suing hospital over 17-year-old son’s death

Tarzana, CA – Former Packers Super Bowl champion Brady Poppinga is taking legal action against a Los Angeles hospital and its medical staff following the death of his 17-year-old son, Julius, who passed away last year due to a lung blockage.

Poppinga initiated the lawsuit earlier this week in Los Angeles, targeting Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in Tarzana, California. He alleges that his son’s death was a result of medical negligence that led to wrongful death.

The family is pursuing unspecified damages in this case, as highlighted by the outlet.

The Poppinga family claims they took Julius to the hospital on August 27 of the previous year when he was experiencing chest pains and difficulty breathing. Tragically, just two days later, he became increasingly unresponsive, struggling to remain conscious amid his breathing crisis.

On that challenging day, Julius woke up “tearful and afraid,” expressing to his mother, Brooke, that he felt “he was going to die.”

The lawsuit asserts that a doctor “negligently and wrongfully concluded” that Julius was experiencing a panic attack, subsequently prescribing medication before his condition rapidly deteriorated, ultimately resulting in his death shortly after that.

An autopsy later determined that Julius passed away from a pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a blood clot blocks circulation in the lungs, as explained by mayoclinic.org.

At the time of his death, reports indicated that Julius had died from a collapsed lung. He was actively involved in lacrosse and played two-way football for Thousand Oaks High School in California.

Brady took to X on August 31 to share a heartfelt tribute to his son following the tragedy. He thanked everyone for their “unbelievably beautiful, sweet and loving compassion” during this difficult time. He stated, “Julius is a special soul who has touched many lives. He is missed, but we KNOW that we will see him and be with him again through the Savior. #familiesareforever.”

Brady Poppinga’s NFL career spanned from 2005 to 2012, during which he played for the Packers, Cowboys, and Rams. Notably, he spent six seasons with Green Bay and participated in six regular-season games during the championship season 2010.

He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft after his collegiate career at BYU.