Carson Wentz Defends Kevin O'connell After Playing Through Serious Shoulder Injury

The Vikings' judgement—specifically that of coach Kevin O'Connell—came into mobility aft it was announced that backmost Carson Wentz underwent season-ending enarthrosis surgery earlier this week. Just this past week, Wentz played done what was later revealed to beryllium a dislocated shoulder, which included a torn labrum and fractured socket successful his non-throwing shoulder, an wounded he had suffered 3 weeks anterior during a triumph complete nan Browns.

It begged nan question: Was Wentz put successful harm's way?

Wentz, speaking to reporters Wednesday, took immoderate of nan power disconnected of nan Vikings.

"Sounds for illustration it's been reported, benignant of, nan situation. How it happened against nan Browns," Wentz said. "But nan full clip I still felt for illustration I could thief this team. I knew what I was signing up for. It wasn't for illustration anyone was forcing maine to go. This is my 10th twelvemonth successful nan league.

"There's a batch bigger things successful my life to interest astir truthful I wasn't going to do thing that would beryllium detrimental to my ain health. So I knew what I was getting into."

"There was ne'er a constituent successful clip where, medically, we were going against nan atom of what was successful Carson's champion liking and yet what Carson wanted to benignant of spot through," O'Connell said Tuesday during his play power appearance.

Wentz went connected to adhd that he and nan Vikings "knew" room was inevitable aft he initially suffered nan wounded backmost successful Week 5, but that playing done it was much of a symptom tolerance rumor than thing that could beryllium considered unsafe. The Vikings QB, nan No. 2 prime successful nan 2016 NFL draught who has bounced betwixt 5 teams since concisely reaching stardom pinch nan Eagles, acknowledged that a portion of him wanted to gut it retired knowing he had been fixed a starting domiciled successful nan NFL aft 3 consecutive seasons spent mostly arsenic a backup.

Wentz defends Vikings statement aft "backlash"

"... Like I said this full time, nan connection from coach, training staff, squad doctors, moreover nan extracurricular sources pinch my supplier has been terrific," Wentz said. "Maybe nan nationalist backlash aliases different things that I'm being told are retired there, I deliberation is personally benignant of crazy.

"Nobody is successful this building. Nobody is successful those conversations. Nobody knows what's genuinely going connected and transpiring down these walls. And I tin conscionable honestly opportunity this spot has been ace supportive and ace adjuvant this full clip and I'm grateful for that."

The Vikings' QB duties are group to erstwhile again beryllium handled by J.J. McCarthy, who has been nursing an ankle injury.

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