USC football: Stafon Johnson to file personal injury lawsuit against school

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An attorney representing former USC running back Stafon Johnson has called a news conference for Monday to announce the filing of a personal injury lawsuit against USC.

Carl Douglas said the lawsuit will seek unspecified damages from USC and Jamie Yanchar, a former assistant strength and conditioning coach at USC.

Johnson was sidelined for nearly all of the 2009 season after suffering what doctors described as near-fatal injuries when a weightlifting bar carrying 275 pounds fell on his neck during a workout on campus on Sept. 28, 2009.

Johnson underwent mutiple surgeries and therapy and was signed as a free agent by the Tennessee Titans after the 2010 NFL draft. But he suffered a season-ending ankle injury during a preseason game last August.

Johnson declined to comment about the lawsuit. A USC athletic department spokesman also declined to comment.

--Gary Klein