The NFL is still dealing with the fallout from the Philadelphia Eagles’ handling of quarterback Jalen Hurts’ blood clots.
Now the Green Bay Packers are getting some of that same heat.
Packers wide receiver Christian Watson left Lambeau Field in an ambulance during Thursday night’s 27-19 win over the Carolina Panthers, coughing up blood with a broken rib. About an hour later, he was back in the game.
While some thought it was a feel-good story, others have taken issue with Green Bay’s perceived recklessness with one of its top stars.
NFL Could Investigate Packers’ Handling of Watson Injury
The NFL initially declined to discipline the Eagles after Hurts was cleared to play in London with what was diagnosed as a clot in his calf. Further testing later found clots in both of his lungs, ending his season.
However, after the NFLPA demanded a full investigation, the league and the union agreed to a rare joint review of the Eagles’ handling. Part of that review is about who gets the final say on a player’s return.
With that probe still going on, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if the Watson situation got a closer look too. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio implied the Packers could suffer a similar fate as the Eagles after Watson was allowed to play less than a quarter after he was hospitalized.
“He broke a rib, and was spitting up blood, and he came back and played in the game? … Are you effing kidding me?” Florio said. “After what we just saw and the s*** storm the NFL is still dealing with with Jalen Hurts, they took this guy to the hospital because he was spitting up blood and had a broken rib. ”
Tthey took him to a hospital to make sure it wasn’t something really serious, and they said, ‘Alright, it’s not that thing that could be really serious – go back and play more football after you’ve been spitting up blood with a broken rib. Go ahead, you’re good to go.’
“I mean, is this real life? Is this AI? Am I in a matrix here? It makes no sense after what they went through with Jalen Hurts that they would let Christian Watson go back into that game.”
Watson, who already has career highs in catches (42) and receiving yards (708) through eight games, said he wanted to go back in before he even left the hospital.
Did the Packers Put Christian Watson in Danger?
Watson got hurt on a 53-yard catch in the second quarter, appearing to land on the ball as Panthers cornerback Will Lee came down on top of him. It was his sixth catch of the night, putting him right at 100 yards.
He went to a nearby hospital for an X-ray, a CT scan and blood tests. The X-ray showed a broken rib, but doctors found no internal bleeding, and Watson was cleared to return.
“I was spitting a little blood [on the sideline] at first, so they just wanted to make sure there was nothing crazy,” Watson said. “I cleared everything and was able to get back out.”
Watson re-entered with 4:01 left in the third quarter, and Jordan Love threw him a deep ball on his very first play back. He finished with eight catches for 113 yards on 10 targets.
Head coach Matt LaFleur called it pretty remarkable.
“He landed on the ball, I believe that’s what I was told, and he was coughing up blood,” LaFleur said. “So they took him for precautionary reasons and had to check him all out and get like a CT scan or something. He obviously cleared that and was good to go back in the game.”
Days later, fans are still debating whether or not the Packers knowingly let Watson put himself at risk for further injury by letting him return to the game knowing he was spitting up blood not but an hour earlier.
Packers Could Be Investigated Over Handling of Christian Watson Incident