It would be fair to say that getting to the bottom of NFL injuries drives me crazy. Yes, it’s a big part of my job. And yes, the very lack of clarity that I’m complaining about is one of the biggest reasons that I even have a job. But still, there are times that I hate it simply because I never end up with any clear answers. Such is the case right now with DB Byron Maxwell and his reported shoulder injury.
Back in Week 15, Maxwell injured his shoulder. The details that came out a few days later indicated that it was an SC sprain, SC being short for sternoclavicular. This is a ligament sprain where your clavicle (or collarbone) attaches to your sternum. It’s a fairly rare injury, and depending on the details, it can be pretty severe, even life-threatening, though not in the case of Maxwell. I’m a little tempted to go on a rant pointing out that an SC sprain might be better labeled as a clavicle or chest injury than a shoulder injury, but I’ll leave that one on the shelf.
Maxwell missed the final two weeks of the season with his SC sprain. Obviously, that was at least a two-week injury, so I’ve logged it as such in my database. But Maxwell’s case gets stranger after the season ends. On March 9th, while giving Maxwell a pre-trade physical, it was reported that Maxwell’s SC sprain was still very much limiting him. Here’s a Tweet from all-things-Philly reporter Les Bowen:
Source: Maxwell went to Miami for physical, told Dolphins’ doc he couldn’t do bench press or pushups. Told Eagles he was fine at end of year
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) March 9, 2016
And just to make matters more confusing, here’s Bowen’s follow-up Tweet:
Maxwell sprained SC joint, where collarbone meets sternum, missed last 2 games. Told Eagles he could’ve played if they’d made the playoffs
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) March 9, 2016
So which Byron Maxwell are we to believe? Les Bowen is a reliable insider, so I have no beef with him here. I specifically used Bowen’s reports here because they are reliable and at the same time, completely inconsistent. He’s just pointing out the same murkiness that I spend my nights and weekends wading through.
As I see it, there are a few options here. Perhaps Maxwell’s injury was worse than originally reported. Maybe Maxwell wasn’t too happy about the Miami trade and he attempted to intentionally submarine the trade by raising injury concerns, (as argued by Steve DelVecchio here), though I find that pretty dubious. When sleuthing down injuries though, I find that the most likely scenario is often the one that doesn’t involve outright lying or conspiracies. In that vein, I’d guess that Maxwell’s SC sprain simply didn’t respond to treatment as well as everyone had expected, and that it is still limiting him. Unfortunately, until we get a clearer picture of exactly what’s going on, I’ll need to stay on top of this case. As it stands now, Maxwell’s return-to-play counter is at almost 2 months, and the clock is still running.
