Getty The NFL is "looking into" the Cincinnati Bengals handling of quarterback Joe Burrow's wrist injury.
The Joe Burrow wrist injury has gone from bad to worse for the Cincinnati Bengals after a November 17 report from NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero.
“The NFL is looking into why Joe Burrow wasn’t on the injury report, as is routine in instances involving compliance with the injury report policy,” Pelissero informed on Friday morning. In the post, he referenced a pregame video clip that went viral the night before.
The @PrimeVideo broadcast showed this video of #Bengals QB Joe Burrow getting off the team bus with a brace/wrap around his right wrist and thumb.
Burrow wasn’t on the injury report. Now he’s questionable with a right wrist injury. Jake Browning is in.
“The @PrimeVideo broadcast showed this video of Bengals QB Joe Burrow getting off the team bus with a brace/wrap around his right wrist and thumb,” Pelissero explained after the injury occurred on November 16. “Burrow wasn’t on the injury report. Now he’s questionable with a right wrist injury [and] Jake Browning is in.”
The footage already has over 1.7 million views, 1.6K likes and 500-plus retweets and quotes.
An ESPN article from beat reporter Ben Baby and insider Adam Schefter noted that the Bengals were the first to share this video on X, but deleted the post soon after.
Bengals HC Zac Taylor Denies Knowledge of Joe Burrow Wrist Injury Prior to TNF vs. Ravens
To make matters worse, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor denied knowledge of a wrist injury before the Thursday Night Football clash with the Baltimore Ravens.
“That was the first I saw anything about it,” Taylor told reporters during his postgame press conference. He also voiced that he “absolutely” felt good about Burrow’s health prior to the game.
Baby and Schefter detailed the potential consequences on November 17.
“The NFL routinely looks into matters of compliance with its injury report policy,” they stated. “The league takes injury report violations seriously, with punishments including team fines or potentially a lost draft pick. The NFL warned teams at the spring owners meetings that they are required to list all injuries.”
They also cited fines of $75,000 and $25,000 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin in 2019 after a similar violation involving Ben Roethlisberger.
Preliminary evaluations showed that Burrow suffered a “sprained right wrist.”
NFL Fans Outraged Over Joe Burrow ‘Brace’ Video
With legal sports betting at an all-time high around the nation, many were outraged over this video — as well as Burrow’s absence from the Week 11 injury report.
“At least there isn’t millions poured into sports betting… OH WAIT,” one fan commented.
Another said: “They’re getting in trouble for not listing him right ?”
And one fan even suggested that “[the Bengals] should lose a first round pick for this negligence.”
Finally, a media member — Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Times and New York Giants beat — called this act a “blatant disregard for rules” that allows for “competitive advantage.”
If that’s what the Bengals were going for by hiding a potential pregame injury for Burrow, it didn’t work. Not only did Cincinnati get blown out by their division rival, 34-20, but they also may have potentially outed themselves by posting the brace video.
Burrow finished with 101 yards passing and a touchdown on 17 attempts. As for Browning, he only threw the ball 14 times, completing eight of those for 68 yards and a touchdown. The backup QB also ran for 40 yards.
The Bengals’ offensive bright spots were running back Joe Mixon and tight end Tanner Hudson — once again. Mixon had 100 scrimmage yards and a touchdown, while Hudson led the team with 49 yards receiving.
On the other side of the ball, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and running backs Gus Edwards and Keaton Mitchell ran wild for 149 yards on the ground. Jackson was also tremendous as a passer, with two touchdowns and a QB rating of 121.3.
Comments
NFL ‘Looking Into’ Joe Burrow Injury After Viral Footage: Report