In frantic 911 call, Uber driver suing NFL star Michael Oher alleges that he ‘bit me’
The fear in Girma Berkessa’s voice – his tone switches from calm to terror seemingly instantly – is clear as he talks to a Nashville, Tennessee, 911 dispatcher in April about an alleged assault by former Carolina Panthers lineman Michael Oher.
Berkessa, a Nashville Uber driver, filed a lawsuit against Oher on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
In a 12-minute call released in a video on The Tennessean website, Berkessa – breathing heavily, crying at times and sounding panicked at others – relays his account of the incident.
911 call with the Uber driver who was allegedly attacked by Michael Oher https://t.co/4p2ezJcPdi
— The Tennessean (@Tennessean) July 21, 2017
“I’m (being) attacked right now,” Berkessa says. “He just attacked me ... He bit me. My back.”
“Do you need an ambulance?” the dispatcher asks.
“I need a cop right now,” he says repeatedly. “I think he’s a (Tennessee) Titans player.”
Oher had called Uber to get a ride to a Nashville comedy club, according to the Tennessean. The lawsuit contends that Oher pushed and kicked the driver over a dispute about the fare. It also states that Oher had asked the driver to follow his wife’s car and became enraged when Berkessa lost the car in traffic.
In the complaint, Berkessa says an “extremely intoxicated” Oher pushed him to the ground, kicked him and repeatedly called him a homophobic slur on April 14. The Uber driver contends that Oher “acted maliciously, intentionally, willfully, wantonly, recklessly and/or negligently.”
The complaint doesn’t appear to mention the biting, according to the Washington Post.
Oher’s lawyers didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment, AP reported Friday afternoon. A hearing scheduled for Friday on a misdemeanor assault case that resulted from the incident has been delayed until Oct. 31.
Uber driver screams ex-Titan Michael Oher 'bit me' in frantic 911 call https://t.co/9daWYbxehg pic.twitter.com/qE3UCb3ey8
— The Tennessean (@Tennessean) July 21, 2017
Oher has had a rough week. Thursday, the Carolina Panthers released Oher, known for being the subject of the movie “The Blind Side,” after he failed a physical.
Oher has been in the NFL’s concussion protocol since September. He finished the season on injured reserve and didn’t take part in team workouts during last month’s minicamp. Instead, Oher planned to meet with team doctors.
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This story was originally published July 21, 2017 at 10:23 PM with the headline "In frantic 911 call, Uber driver suing NFL star Michael Oher alleges that he ‘bit me’."