On Wednesday, four days before his team faces the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60, Seattle Seahawks rookie safety Nick Emmanwori suffered an ankle injury in practice that raised serious doubts about his availability for Sunday.
On Thursday morning, a new video emerged online that appears to reveal the extent of Emmanwori’s injury, and gives a much clearer indication of whether he will be able to play in the Super Bowl.
UPDATE: Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald said Thursday morning that he is confident Emmanwori will play on Sunday, but will participate in a walkthrough to determine if he can practice Thursday, according to NBC Sports Boston reporter Albert Breer. Macdonald confirmed that Emmanwori suffered a low ankle sprain.
Original reporting on this story follows.
The video, which originally appeared on TikTok and has since been reposted to multiple platforms, shows a man identified by the poster as Emmanwori exiting a white SUV at the San Jose Marriott hotel in downtown San Jose, California.
Clad in a white windbreaker jacket, black slacks and white sneakers, wearing a black baseball cap and carrying a small duffel bag in his right hand, the man clearly exhibits a distinct limp as he walked toward the hotel entrance.
The video did not, however, show the man named as Emmanwori wearing any visible type of boot or brace on his foot or ankle.
According to a prominent sports medicine doctor who was formerly team physician for the then-San Diego Chargers, the video indicates that Emmanwori suffered a low ankle sprain.
Typical Recovery Times as Long as ‘Few Weeks’
According to Dr. David Chao, founder of Sports Injury Central and who regularly provides analysis of NFL injuries via his social media account, the video shows a “likely right inversion ankle sprain.”
Chao gained a measure of notoriety after the AFC Championship game when he noted online that Patriots quarterback Drake Maye appeared to suffer a shoulder injury in the game against the Denver Broncos. Though Chao was widely criticized, the Patriots soon confirmed the injury.
An inversion sprain is also referred to as a low ankle sprain, according to medical information posted by Bone & Joint Surgery Clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina. According to the clinic’s information, a low ankle sprain is more common than the more serious high ankle sprain and “happens when the foot turns or rolls inward, causing the ligaments below the ankle joint on the outside of the ankle — the anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and the calcaneofibular (CFL) ligament — to stretch or tear.”
According to Chao, Emmanwori would be expected to be listed as “out” at Thursday’s Seahawks practice, but Super Bowl 60 is now three days away. Chao did not offer a prediction as to Emmanwori’s status for the big game.
High-level athletes can recover from low ankle sprains in as little as 48 hours, according to an article posted by athletic protective gear-maker Betterguards, but “recovery times often range from a few days to a few weeks.”
Emmanwori ‘Very Limited’ in Super Bowl, Dr. Predicts
Another sports medicine doctor who also analyzes injuries online, South Florida-based Dr. Jesse Morse, sounded a pessimistic note about Emmanwori’s participation in Sunday’s Super Bowl.
“This is unlikely to be a high-ankle sprain, especially since he’s not on crutches or in a boot,” wrote Morse on Thursday. “Still very concerning nonetheless. IF he plays he will be VERY limited.”
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday that Emmanwori was set to undergo imaging on the ankle to determine the severity and extent of the injury.
Earlier Emmanwori Ankle Injury
Emmanwori also suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The injury caused the second-round pick out of South Carolina to miss the next three games.
In his post on Thursday, Morse said that Emmanwori’s current injury appeared new, and not a reaggravation of the earlier ankle sprain.
New Nick Emmanwori Video Raises Fresh Questions About Ankle Injury