NWSL Star Sues Team Doctors One Year After On-Field Cardiac Arrest

A Terrifying Collapse, and a Year of Silence

On September 14, 2025, Racing Louisville FC midfielder Savannah DeMelo collapsed during a match at Seattle, the result of what she now describes as "an undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia" that caused her to go into cardiac arrest. For a full year, the true nature of that emergency remained private. The lawsuit that DeMelo filed this week came alongside her first public disclosure of what actually happened that day.

DeMelo sat down on the field before collapsing, and trainers rushed to her side as players from both teams were visibly shaken. She remained hospitalized in Seattle for nearly a week before returning home to Louisville. The club described it only as a "medical emergency" at the time, and DeMelo — navigating one of the most frightening experiences of her life — chose to keep the details close.

What the Lawsuit Alleges

DeMelo sued two University of Louisville doctors and UofL medical organizations, alleging they failed to properly diagnose and treat cardiac disease before she suffered cardiac arrest during the match. The lawsuit, filed in Jefferson Circuit Court, alleges negligence by Dr. Jennifer Daily, medical director of the UofL Health Sports Medicine Institute, and Dr. Sarabjeet Suri, a cardiologist with UofL Physicians-Cardiology Associates. University of Louisville Physicians, UofL Health, and UofL Health-Louisville are also named as defendants.

The lawsuit says DeMelo was subsequently diagnosed and treated for ventricular tachycardia, a potentially life-threatening abnormal heart rhythm. The allegation at the core of the case is that warning signs were present and missed. The lawsuit follows a series of medical issues DeMelo had discussed publicly in the year before her cardiac arrest, including problems with her heart rate and an earlier on-field medical emergency that led to a cardiology evaluation.

DeMelo had told ESPN in May 2025 that she had been diagnosed the previous fall with Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism, and that before the diagnosis she had struggled during games with a racing heart, shortness of breath, and fatigue. In her own words, "I would get to maybe the 25th minute, and I felt like my heart was just like beating so fast, like out of my chest." These were not subtle complaints — they were documented, recurring, and alarming.

The Doctor at the Center and a Changing Relationship

Dr. Daily serves as Racing Louisville's chief medical officer and is employed by the University of Louisville. Daily also served as chief medical officer for Racing Louisville FC but was not employed directly by the club. That arrangement is now coming to an end. Multiple sources familiar with the arrangement told ESPN that the agreement ends this year and will not be renewed. UofL Health declined to comment on the allegations, citing pending litigation.

DeMelo was on the United States roster for the 2023 Women's World Cup , making her one of the more prominent names in the NWSL. Her case also arrives in a broader moment of reckoning for player safety in women's soccer. Earlier in 2025, Angel City FC defender Savy King had also collapsed during a match in Los Angeles and required heart surgery. Two cardiac emergencies involving professional women's soccer players in the same season is not a coincidence anyone in the sport can afford to ignore.

A Year of Emotional Weight — and What Comes Next

DeMelo revealed the reason for her collapse for the first time on Monday, marking the one-year anniversary of the event. In the Instagram post, she was candid about the toll the past year has taken. She wrote that she respected the privacy everyone had shown her, and that she would "never be able to fully put into words how emotionally hard this year has been."

The lawsuit raises questions that extend well beyond one player's case. When a professional athlete presents with repeated cardiac symptoms and undergoes a cardiology evaluation, what standard of care is owed? Who is responsible when the dots aren't connected in time? DeMelo's legal action will force those questions into a courtroom — and the answers could reshape how sports medicine teams across professional leagues approach cardiac screening. For now, a player who survived a cardiac arrest on live television is demanding accountability, and the sports world is watching closely.