A star quarterback having a wrist injury isn’t some new, wild thing that needs to be focused on.
But when there were questions about that wrist injury before the game and whether it was reported correctly or not, then it’s news.
That’s basically the case with Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals and the NFL. Because Burrow hurt his wrist on Thursday night which came after a deleted Bengals post before the contest against the Baltimore Ravens may have shown Burrow with something on his right wrist.
What’s the deal here? Let’s dive in with what we know so far as this story develops:
The Bengals posted and deleted a video on Wednesday of Burrow wearing what looked like a cast on his right hand
Lots of talk about a deleted #Bengals post, which showed Joe Burrow wearing some type of brace or sleeve on his right wrist.
🎥 Here’s video of Burrow getting off the team bus in Baltimore.
Not a perfectly clear shot, but you can definitely see it on his hand.@WCPO pic.twitter.com/XcqX6oMODA
— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) November 16, 2023
That was before the game and raised questions about a possible injury.
Burrow injured that same hand on Thursday night
A glimpse of what Joe Burrow is dealing with on what the team now says is a right wrist injury: pic.twitter.com/nOW3qR0RhR
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 17, 2023
Zac Taylor said it "looked like a sprained wrist"
He also denied Burrow had a problem before the game. From ESPN:
Taylor said Burrow fell on the wrist earlier in the game before he appeared to be in serious pain after throwing a 4-yard touchdown pass to running back Joe Mixon on what was Burrow’s final play.
The coach said he was not aware of Burrow dealing with any wrist issue before the game.
“That was the first I saw anything about it,” Taylor said, adding that he “absolutely” felt good about Burrow heading into the contest.
The NFL is now reportedly looking into whether there was a violation of injury compliance rules
The NFL is looking into why Joe Burrow wasn't on the injury report for the Bengals this past week, per sources. The investigation starts today. They will be looking at photos, practice video, and speaking to people with the organization to decide if there was any wrong doing.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) November 17, 2023
As The Athletic noted:
Obviously, practice video will inevitably show what they need to see, but Burrow was not limited during practices last week and threw every day. They held one practice in the stadium on Tuesday night open to media for the first 30 minutes and a walkthrough on Wednesday not open to media. He was not wearing anything at the practice or at availability open to media. Everything looked ordinary during pregame on the field.
On Friday, it was reported Burrow will be out for the rest of the season with a torn ligament
BREAKING: #Bengals QB Joe Burrow will be out for the season due to the right wrist injury suffered on Thursday night in Baltimore, per team source.
Torn a ligament and likely to require surgery.
Jake Browning takes over at QB.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) November 17, 2023
