Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha filed a federal lawsuit Monday against five New York police officers who arrested him outside a Manhattan nightclub last year, accusing them of false arrest and using excessive force.

Sefolosha’s right fibula was broken when the officers knocked him to the ground and took him into custody early April 8 after he left the 1 Oak nightclub in Chelsea. He missed the 2015 playoffs, underwent surgery to repair his leg and torn ankle ligaments, and needed months of rehabilitation.

The officers were trying to clear the block after another basketball player, Chris Copeland of the Indiana Pacers, was stabbed in an unrelated dispute. The officers claimed that Sefolosha and his teammate, Pero Antic, were slow to follow orders to move along. Then, the police said in a criminal complaint, Sefolosha charged at an officer whose back was turned.

Sefolosha, 31, was charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct. Saying he wanted to clear his name, he rejected a lenient plea deal and insisted on going to trial. In October, a jury acquitted him of all charges after only 45 minutes of deliberation.