The Jets and OL Kelechi Osemele are in an ugly fight over his shoulder injury
What is going on in New York, where the Jets and Kelechi Osemele are fighting over an injury?
If you thought Jets injury news couldn’t get any weirder this season after Sam Darnold’s bout with mononucleosis kept him out of action for a month, you were wrong. Things got a lot weirder today in New York, and this latest weirdness isn’t nearly as funny as a player coming down with a high school illness.
It turns out the Jets and left guard Kelechi Osemele are in a disagreement over his shoulder injury and how to go about treating it. According to Osemele, who was traded to New York from Oakland in the offseason, he suffered the injury in training camp before re-aggravating it in Week 3. The Jets seem to think the injury dates back to his time with the Raiders. That’s not the only point of contention: Osemele wants to undergo surgery to repair his shoulder while the team, reportedly, wants him to play through the injury.
Osemele says he’s just not capable of doing so. Via NJ.com:
“I think they just want me to play through the injury, but obviously I tried to go and I can’t go,” Osemele said. “I’ve been doing everything I can and it’s just not there. I can’t control that. It’s an injury. It’s torn. So until it’s fixed, I can’t really do anything.”
It’s gets weirder. According to a report from Bleacher Report’s Adam Lekfoe, the Jets have resorted to some rather shady practices in order to keep Osemele cleared to play:
Those are some serious accusations. But the Jets are standing firm, threatening to fine Osemele if he does not practice this weekend.
At this point, it’s a game of he said, she said, but the NFL and NFLPA will surely look into this matter. If shouldn’t be a hard one to figure out. Either Osemele requires surgery or he doesn’t. If he finds one doctor who recommends he go under the knife to fix his shoulder, that should be enough for the team. If it isn’t, the league should intervene.
Either way, we’re looking at an ugly spat between a player and his team. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2019 New York Jets!