The increasingly messy game of intrigue between the Colts and running back Jonathan Taylor has taken yet another turn.
On Sunday night, Taylor took to Twitter to dispute reports that he reported back pain to the organization—an occurrence it was speculated Indianapolis would use to get out of its financial commitment to Taylor in 2023.
"Never had a back pain," Taylor wrote. "Never reported back pain. Not sure who 'sources' are, but find new ones."
Taylor's tweet came less than two hours after an initial report from ESPN’s Stephen Holder suggested the Colts were "considering placing him on the non-football injury list, which could result in his not being paid for the regular season." Holder wrote that Indianapolis believed the injury was not sustained within the duties of Taylor's professional football career.
Source to ESPN: Colts RB Jonathan Taylor reported to training camp complaining of back pain that was deemed to be from a pre-existing issue. The team is now considering placing him on the non-football injury list, which could result in his not being paid for the regular season.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) July 31, 2023
In 2022, Taylor played in 11 games for Indianapolis, battling ankle injuries.
The 2021 All-Pro has dominated the NFL news cycle in recent days as he enters the final year of his four-year, $7.8 million rookie deal. A public spat between Colts owner Jim Irsay and Taylor's agent on Wednesday snowballed into a trade request Saturday.
Amid drama that shows no sign of abating, Indianapolis will open preseason play on Aug. 12 against the Bills.
