It has not been a great year for team doctors in the AFC West. In late September, Chargers then-starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor suffered a punctured lung when a team doctor tried to administer a pain-killing shot before Los Angeles’ game with the Chiefs. Taylor suffered a rib injury in Week 1 against the Bengals, but didn’t get an MRI until later in the week. That led to rookie Justin Herbert’s improbable rise, but still… whoops.
We are apparently not done with the whoops, folks. As reported by Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, right tackle Trent Brown missed Sunday’s game against the Bengals when a simple IV went awry.
#Raiders OT Trent Brown was hospitalized today after a mishap with his pre-game IV that caused air to enter his bloodstream and required immediate medical attention, per me and @TomPelissero. Brown will stay overnight for further tests.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 1, 2020
Per Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Brown had been wheeled out of the locker room.
Derek Carr said the team "was scared for Trent (Brown)" when got sick before the game. "They wheeled him out and we didn't know what what happening."
Johnathan Abram said team got together and said "Let's get this W for Trent."— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) November 1, 2020
The Raiders did get the “W,” with a 16-6 score. But as Rapoport also points out, it’s a bad time for Brown, who had worked his way through COVID to get back on the field.
What a crazy and frustrating 2 weeks for Trent Brown. Works his way back from COVID, now through no fault of his own, misses today with a scary medical mishap. https://t.co/d8BS9cpp1W
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 1, 2020
Given the history of NFL team doctors (hint: it’s bad), the league should be investigating these issues as it failed to do for decades. If players have to be afraid of their own doctors, it’s a serious problem.