2 min read • October 07, 2020
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Under the Joe Douglas and Adam Gase regime, this will be the fifth time eyebrows have been raised on the handling and messaging of medical issues in the last year. 1st Round OT Mehki Becton popped up on the injury report with a shoulder issue week 3, and likely had a labral tear alongside stability issues. He re-injured it vs the Colts and left the game, before dressing week 4 as an “emergency” LT, playing in the first quarter and exiting again almost immediately after. Sam Darnold suffered an AC joint sprain to his throwing shoulder and likely took an injection before returning to play. Now the Jets are likely to sit their young QB week 5, and some have accused the team of being “reckless.” Star RB Le’Veon Bell returned early this year with a hamstring injury before exiting against to IR, and Gase was “mad” at himself for allowing that to happen. Last year, Kelechi Osemele said he needed shoulder surgery, yet he was threatened with discipline if he didn’t practice or play. Osemele was released by the team and fined for detrimental conduct, and while he was eventually paid in full, bad PR lingers. Last November, WR Quincy Enunwa publicly blasted the team for fining him $27,900 for two missed rehab sessions when he was on IR after neck surgery. Whether the fines were justified or not, clearly the communication on a medical issue was lacking. I am not suggesting that Douglas or Gase are wrong or making any implication that the medical staff is making bad decisions. (Full disclosure, I have known the Jets medical staff for almost two decades and know them to be of top quality.) But clearly the overall decision making process and/or the communication on these issues has gone awry.
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