If Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert plays today, it might be because of an ultrasound-guided painkilling injection, which sounds pretty wild. It also sounds a lot like what went wrong for former Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor a few years back.
Taylor, who was the Chargers’ starting quarterback before Herbert, had his lung punctured by a team doctor right before a 2020 game when he was attempting to give Tyrod a painkilling injection. Taylor did not file a grievance against the team but it was a severe blow to their reputation over such things.
Herbert is coming into this Sunday’s game with some severely injured ribs and there’s a concern he’ll need a painkilling injection as well. However, with the memory of the Taylor incident still fresh, if the team has to give him something, it will be an ultrasound-guided injection that allows the team’s medical staff to administer the painkiller in a way that avoids the lungs or any other vital organs, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.
Per Mort, Herbert did practice once this week after getting a painkilling injection and the results were mixed. It remains unclear whether or not he will play against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Whether he plays or not, the news of a Chargers team doctor giving a quarterback an injection has a lot of NFL folks worried for Herbert’s safety.
Can we make sure it isn’t the same doctor that did this to Tyrod? That’s all I ask https://t.co/XQAeiTmfqX
— lindsey ok (@lindseyyok) September 25, 2022