Sometimes, reality shows can be a little too real.
The Giants are experiencing that this month, with Hard Knocks showing the world way too much about the inner workings of an NFL team during the crucial stages of the offseason. The Lions might be getting a little taste of it as well.
During the first episode of Receiver on Netflix, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown reveals that he suffered an oblique injury in Week 3 against the Falcons. The next game came only four days later, against the Packers.
“We have a Thursday game after Atlanta,” St. Brown explains. “So, I can barely — I mean, I’m running but the pain is like, on a 10 it’s like at an eight. Eight or nine. And so I’m like, ‘It’s too late for me not to play. The game plan’s in.’ Painkillers is something I really don’t like to take unless — unless it’s the Packers.”
St. Brown did indeed play. But he didn’t appear on any of the three injury reports preceding the game.
He caught five passes for 56 yards against the Packers, including a touchdown that resulted in beer being poured on his helmet.
The question now becomes whether the league will drench the Lions with some belated scrutiny, given that St. Brown clearly was injured (he missed the next game because of it) and the Lions failed to disclose it prior to Week 4.
The issue easily could have been avoided in the editing of the episode. They didn’t need to include the fact that the injury originally happened in Week 3.
But they did. Now, the league has to deal with it. Or not. Either way, the situation proves yet again that the injury reports are far from effective and inside information is rampant.
In this case, anyone who knew about the injury could have bet on St. Brown to hit the under on his receiving yards prop of 72.5 yards.
So, again, the NFL can either be proactive and shore up these problems. Or it can wait for the shit to hit the fan, before acting surprised to find smelly brown flecks of fecal matter all over the place.