New York Jets safety Rontez Miles described the play as a “freakish accident.”

In the second game of the 2017 preseason, a Detroit Lions offensive lunged at Miles and attempted to block him, but the lineman’s hand went through Miles’ face mask and struck him. It was a sharp pain and he couldn’t see for a few minutes, as he broke the orbital bone in his right eye in two places.

But the injury is not being described as a freakish accident in a lawsuit Miles filed against the NFL recently.

It is being described as an injury that could have been avoided.

The lawsuit alleges that an NFL referee “demanded” Miles remove the visor that he has worn on his face mask for the entirety of his career in order to play in the game against the Lions. Miles, who suffers from Alopecia Areata, wears the visor in order to reduce the effects of ocular photosensitivity, which the autoimmune skin disorder can cause, according to the lawsuit.

It is unclear why the referee demanded the visor be removed, but tinted visors have been banned in the NFL, except for players with certain medical conditions, since 1998. The league loosened the rules before this season.

The lawsuit says Miles had permission from the Jets to wear the visor, and that the referee, who is not named in the lawsuit, was advised that Miles needed the visor for a medical reason. The medical condition constituted a disability, according to the lawsuit.

Even then, according to the lawsuit, the referee allegedly told Miles he either remove the visor or not play in the game.

“He was battling for a position on the roster,” his attorney, Lawrence Lavigne, said in an interview Wednesday. “He felt from a career move it could have been damaging, if he said, ‘Ok, I’ll sit out.’”

Rontez Miles pictured wearing a tinted visor in a 2015 preseason game. (Amanda Marzullo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Miles removed the visor and played in the game.

However, according to the lawsuit, the injury allegedly occurred because Miles did not have the visor on his face mask.

The lawsuit claims “due to the lack of protection from the bright sun,” Miles allegedly did not see the player approaching him and didn’t have the ability to maneuver around him.

The subsequent broken orbital bone in two places required Miles to get surgery, miss several games and experience severe pain, according to the lawsuit.

The three-count federal lawsuit includes allegations that the NFL violated the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and the American Disabilities Act. It was originally filed in August in Morris County Superior Court but was transferred to federal court Wednesday.

The NFL did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Miles joined the Jets in 2013 as an undrafted free agent after playing college football at California University of Pennsylvania. He has mostly been used as a special teams player in his career for the team, but has suffered a variety of injuries throughout his career, including having knee surgery in 2018.

Jets head coach Adam Gase named Miles a captain for the 2019-2020 season.

He has earned nearly $4 million in his NFL playing career.

Joe Atmonavage may be reached at jatmonavage@njadvancemedia.com. Follow on Twitter @monavage. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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