CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow said Friday he was wearing a compression sleeve on his right arm when the Bengals landed in Baltimore earlier this week.
The NFL is investigating why Cincinnati did not list Burrow on its injury report before the team’s Thursday night game in which Burrow exited in the second quarter with a wrist injury that will end his season, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Friday.
The Bengals had posted and later deleted a video on social media that showed Burrow getting off a plane before the team's 34-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens with his right hand in what appeared to be a soft cast or brace.
WCPO had footage of Burrow getting off the team bus with the same device on his arm.
Lots of talk about a deleted #Bengals post, which showed Joe Burrow wearing some type of brace or sleeve on his right wrist.
— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) November 16, 2023
🎥 Here’s video of Burrow getting off the team bus in Baltimore.
Not a perfectly clear shot, but you can definitely see it on his hand.@WCPO pic.twitter.com/XcqX6oMODA
“This is a completely different thing," Burrow said at a press conference Friday. “It’s not uncommon for guys to wear compression sleeves on planes because when you go up to that altitude, you know, things can swell up. In football, you have a lot of bumps and bruises. This is a completely new injury.”
NFL officials regularly review similar cases, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the review is not being publicly discussed. Teams can be fined or lose a draft pick for violating the NFL’s injury report policy.
Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor announced Friday that Burrow will need surgery for a torn ligament in his throwing wrist. Taylor said he didn't know what Burrow had on his throwing hand coming off the team bus. The coach said Burrow practiced fully all week and looked great in pregame warmups.
“Guys wear different compression things on the plane all the time,” Taylor said. "I haven’t made it a point to ask them all about it every time they do it.”
Burrow, 26, exited the game after throwing a 4-yard touchdown pass to Joe Mixon. When he tried a practice throw on the sideline, the ball slipped out of his hand and the quarterback winced in pain. Burrow then went to the locker room and looked frustrated.
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ESPN first reported the investigation into the Bengals (5-5).
Burrow was 11 of 17 for 101 yards and the TD when he left. Backup Jake Browning replaced him with the Bengals trailing 14-10.
Burrow dealt with a calf injury earlier this season, but he hasn’t missed a game this year.
This is the second time in Burrow’s four-year NFL career he has suffered a season-ending injury in Week 11. He tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee during a game against Washington in 2020 after being the No. 1 overall draft pick out of LSU.
