When Denver Broncos’ quarterback Bo Nix broke his ankle at the end of Denver’s 33-30 overtime win against the Buffalo Bills in the division round two weeks ago, we all thought it was a horribly cruel and random injury. And it was, but not quite as much as it seemed, according to Broncos coach Sean Payton. The news about what Payton revealed came an AP report via ESPN in which the condition was revealed during surgery.
"What was found was a condition that was predisposed -- they always find a little more when they go in," Payton said. "It wasn't a matter of if, it was a matter of when.”
“When” is a key question about this injury on multiple levels. When Nix first sustained it at the end of the game, Payton seemed clueless about exactly what had just happened, and it was only after his initial press conference that he decided to call reporters back and reveal it. Was he just momentarily out of the loop on that with something the Broncos already knew about, or was this condition really unknown until the surgery?
Given the money teams like the Broncos invest in quarterbacks like Nix, the former seems far more likely.
There are more relevant questions, though. One is whether or not Payton’s decision to go public about this is a violation of Nix’s basic right to privacy about his personal medical information, and whether the quarterback and his agent actually signed off on the decision to reveal it. Typically, NFL teams are notoriously clandestine about this kind of information, which is usually leaked via agents or “sources” within a team.
Another question is why Payton would choose to do this now. The timing seems very odd, to the point where you have to wonder if Payton is backing away from his star quarterback to at least some extent in his future plans. That question is especially relevant given that Payton fired multiple coaches yesterday, including offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, which was a stunning move given how close the Broncos came to making it to the Super Bowl.
Payton spoke like that wasn’t the case, but that’s what he gets paid to say. He spoke about Nix’s rehab, how well he’s (mostly) protected himself when he leaves the pocket to run, and the possibility of adding orthotics to prevent another subsequent injury of this nature. Clearly, there’s a lot more to be learned about Nix and this injury that will doubtless surface in the coming days and weeks.