Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow confirmed this week that his appendix indeed ruptured, prompting the appendectomy and what is potentially a longer return time than expected.
Buy Bengals TicketsThat would explain Burrow’s mad dash to put more weight back on his frame before the season starts.
“It wasn’t normal appendicitis that you hear about,” Burrow said, according to Ben Baby of ESPN. “I didn’t really feel much. Just getting checked out and had some discomfort so we thought we’d get it checked out. Turns out I had it. So we had to get it fixed.”
In other words, nothing about the situation was as routine or normal as initially expected outside the building, with pain levels and the struggle to return worse than presume for the franchise quarterback.
“I was here when I could be here, other than that I was in the hospital,” Burrow said, per The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.. “So sleeping as much as I could really. I didn’t do much to pass the time except handle the pain and sleep.”
Burrow showing up with a PICC line still in his arm on a golf cart and clearly in discomfort when getting on or off it makes a little more sense now.
While Burrow has plenty of time to get all the way back by the season opener, his recent meeting with reporters pulled back the curtain on a tougher-than-expected road.
If nothing else, he’s looking good in practice already, as noted by ESPN’s Stephania Bell:
The distance of these throws by Burrow in his first team drill participation are impressive considering the extent of the surgery – and recovery – we now know he had.
Expect he’ll add more velocity/cross-body throws/quick throws on the run as he progresses. https://t.co/i6IIq8p5UN— Stephania Bell (@Stephania_ESPN) August 17, 2022
