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- Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green suffered an ankle injury on Sunday that will reportedly keep him out 6-8 weeks.
- The Bengals were practicing at the University of Dayton in celebration of the NFL’s 100th anniversary.
- Some Bengals raised concerns about the field, with fellow Bengals receiver A.J. Boyd calling it "terrible" and saying the team shouldn’t have been there.
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Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver A.J. Green suffered an ankle injury on the first day of training camp that could cause him to miss regular-season time.
While running a route, Green got tangled up with cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and fell to the ground. He was carted off the field and reportedly punched a nearby bench several times out of frustration.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Green tore ligaments in his ankle and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. The Bengals’ first regular-season game is on September 8, six weeks from when the injury occurred.
The Bengals were playing on a field that some felt was "subpar," according to Schefter.
As part of the NFL’s 100th-anniversary celebration, the Bengals practiced in Dayton, Ohio. According to Sports Illustrated Albert Breer, the NFL wanted the practice to be at Triangle Park, site of the first NFL game. However, local Native American groups raised concerns that the site was a burial ground, and the league decided not to go through with plans to build a practice field.
The Bengals instead practiced at the University of Dayton, and some members felt the field was not in proper playing condition.
"The turf was terrible," Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd told ESPN. "I couldn’t run any routes out there. I’m falling all over the ground. It was bad. It was rocks, pebbles out there. Man, it was somewhere we shouldn’t have been."
Bengals coach Zac Taylor, however, disputed the notion that the field was sub-standard. According to Schefter, the Bengals approved the plan to practice there.
Furthermore, NBC’s Peter King wrote that the NFL Players Association could get involved.
Wrote King:
"I think the NFLPA is in business to protect players like A.J. Green, who was injured on a University of Dayton field over the weekend. If that playing surfaced was sub-standard, as some have claimed, the union has to fight for its players—and the Bengals will have to be held accountable if the surface was poor."
Green, 30, is coming off of a foot injury that ended his 2018 season after nine games. Green has only played all 16 games twice in the last five years. Given his age and injury history, an ankle injury could raise concerns about his effectiveness this season.
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Source: Business Insider – sdavis@businessinsider.com (Scott Davis)