I’ll be interested to see how the league rules on the New York Jets false injury report reports late last season.
I've refrained from writing about this because it's seemed like the league was interested in the Jets, but now the league said it wants to talk to Eric Mangini, which brings it a little closer to home.
By way of background, the Jets and Brett Favre knew he had a torn biceps tendon. Favre said before the opener that during a discussion everyone agreed that medically it might be the best for all if he missed games. But the Jets asked Favre to play through it – and apparently Eric Mangini was one of those who wanted him on the field.
So the Jets knew he was hurt, but never once listed him on the injury report. Not even as probable.
Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum admitted the error, and took responsibility. But every team I’ve ever covered, it’s the coach who does the injury report.
Injury reports can be tenuous. Some coaches list everyone. Tom Brady once was listed as probable every week of a season. Jeff Fisher used to list a ton of guys as questionable. Coaches can easily fudge or hide injuries. A Jets reporter last season got into it with Mangini about not listing kicker Donald Nugent when he was injured. Mangini clearly does not like to reveal too much.
This is why commissioner Roger Goodell wants consistency.
I don’t know what happened in New York. But I think it will be interesting to see what happens with this investigation. And Mangini is part of the investigation.
Said Goodell: "We establish policies. They're to be followed. And all 32 clubs are going to be held accountable for that … “
I also find it interesting that all this happened and after the season Favre became the scapegoat for everything wrong in New York. Shortly after the season ended, one of Mangini’s right-hand men trashed Favre. So we had a guy being begged to play, then being trashed for being unable to play.
Why does any of this matter? (I can hear the … here he goes again laments already …)
Well … because it’s my blog, and I feel like writing about it.
Hey … that’s a JOKE.
It matters because it gets to issues of trust, honesty and being willing to follow the rules. A coach who makes his players run laps because of mental errors can’t really command respect if his players realize he’s fudging rules he doesn’t like (if indeed that did happen).
At this point, Mangini might be the best coach in the league regarding injury reporting. But … his reputation on this matter is not good. The New York Times even did a study of his injury reporting late last season that was not favorable. It explained the injury report’s importance this way: “The N.F.L. has required its teams to report players’ injuries since the late 1940s, when the influence of gamblers became a heightened concern. The league worried that bettors would seek out members of the teams’ medical staffs to learn whether a star player was hurting. So all injuries were listed publicly.”
Jets guard Alan Faneca told the Times he would use injury information to gain an edge, but most players I’ve spoken with do not like lies and deception, even about injuries. When Kelly Holcomb broke his leg a few years ago, Butch Davis did not reveal the injury on Monday. I ran across a player in the locker room who asked what he said, then laughed when he heard Davis had said little. “He broke his leg,” the player said. “He’s out.” Davis then trotted Holcomb out to practice for the portion of the practice open to the media and said Holcomb might play the following Sunday. On a broken leg. His leg were wrapped up like the mummy. A different player laughed at the end of the week, because he said the second the media left practice Holcomb went back inside to the training room. Competitive advantage?
Me, I don’t ask a lot. Just be honest with me. If a guy doesn’t want to answer a question, that’s fine. Mangini did that in training camp when I asked him if Braylon Edwards hurt himself this summer doing something outside of football. Mangini was very polite in saying he just would not discuss it. That’s fine.
But once the season starts, there are rules that have to be followed. Mangini could be following the rules with utter perfection this year. But it will be interesting to see how the league rules things went in New York with Favre.
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I will never forget reading a particular USA Today box score. USA Today used to be the only place where you could get any complete detailed box score. It was around 1992 or 1993, back when Chris Gatling was playing for Golden State. I looked at the bottom to review the DNPs. It had the usual assortment of Danny Ferry-like stiffs with the usual "DNP (coach's decision)." But then I came to one DNP which was just a little too forthright and honest. I am all for making player injuries public, but please. Where in the hell was Mangini when we really needed that chubby Dick Cheney clone.
The box score detail for Chris Gatling: "DNP (inflamed hemorrhoids)."