We know too much about our favorite NFL players. Chad Ochocinco used to take male performance-enhancement drugs mixed with Red Bull before games, for example. Also, did you know that Jason Kelce doesn’t wear underwear? I wish I hadn’t. But the point is this: It’s almost always the price of entry for a life of NFL stardom. Players eventually become more comfortable, or at the very least more accepting, that their private lives are the Trident we chew on thoughtlessly throughout the day.
The same cannot be said about Lamar Jackson, who was placed on injured reserve on Sunday. I’ll explain why that matters in a moment. Jackson came back for all of one play after missing four weeks with a high-ankle sprain, threw a pass, bashed his right thumb off the forearm of a Bills defender and went off for surgery. Baltimore’s head coach, Jesse Minter, couldn’t say whether it was season-ending, but it sure feels like it might be.
