It’s not a lie if you believe it. And Kamu Grugier-Hill really wanted to believe he only hurt his shoulder.
It wasn’t true. Not even a little bit. Instinctively, the Eagles linebacker knew he had a concussion but he didn’t want to come out of the team’s Week 13 game against Miami.
So Grugier-Hill took matters into his own hands and flat-out lied to the trainers examing him. He told medical personnel that he had hurt his shoulder, but he knew it was a head injury. It happened on the first play from scrimmage.
“I just basically lied to them,” Grugier-Hill told reporters, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I thought it would just go away. Just didn’t really say anything about it. It got to the point where I really couldn’t lie to them anymore.”
He came off the field for a few minutes before returning to the game and playing a total of 53 snaps, all of them while suffering from a concussion. Grugier-Hill finally grew tired of the headaches and let the Eagles know what really happened. Grugier-Hill missed Monday night’s win over the Giants as he followed the NFL’s five-step protocol for head injuries.
Thursday Injury Report
The 25-year-old returned to practice on Thursday and has been cleared for contact. On Sunday, he’ll be back out there with his teammates. According to the fiery team captain, he wouldn’t have done anything differently.
“I think it’s just part of the game,” Grugier-Hill said. “You get rocked a little bit every once in a while.”
Jordan Howard Not Cleared for Contact, Lane Johnson Out
In other injury updates, the Eagles might be missing several key starters this weekend in Washington. Their starting right tackle is the biggest loss.
Lane Johnson is still considered “week-to-week” as he recovers from a gruesome ankle injury. While it appears to be less severe than originally thought, it will sideline him for at least one game. He missed practice on Thursday and Doug Pederson has already indicated that Halapoulivaati Vaitai will start at right tackle.
Lane Johnson in the medical tent. Looks brutal, could be season ending injury #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
Meanwhile, wide receiver Nelson Agholor (knee) and defensive end Derek Barnett (ankle) missed Thursday’s practice and could both be game-time decisions.
Agholor had mentioned he’s been in a “stalemate” with his knee since hurting it on Oct. 13. Barnett was injured against Miami and missed last week’s game.
Running back Jordan Howard (shoulder) and cornerback Jalen Mills (elbow) were listed as limited participants at Eagles practice on Thursday.
Howard still hasn’t been cleared for contact and sources told Heavy.com that he wouldn’t play until Week 16 versus Dallas. The team remains confident that Mills can suit up on Sunday.
Malcolm Jenkins Nominated for Man of the Year Award
No real surprise here. The Eagles have selected safety Malcolm Jenkins as their Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee.
All 32 teams get a representative and one player will be chosen at the Super Bowl. Philadelphia could be looking at back-to-back winners since last year the coveted award went to defensive end Chris Long.
The annual award was designed to recognize “outstanding community service activities as well as excellence on the field,” according to the NFL’s website.
“Winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for me would be a huge honor and a way to acknowledge the work of everyone else who has allowed The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation to be what it is,” Jenkins told the Eagles’ official website. “And that’s every volunteer, every person that we’ve been able to engage within the community, every partner, every sponsor, my wonderful board, who has been with us from the beginning, allowing us to operate in four different states.”
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Eagles LB Finds Interesting Way to Trick NFL Concussion Policy