NFL to investigate Bengals for injury report compliance

The NFL is investigating the Cincinnati Bengals for not including quarterback Joe Burrow on their injury report this week, despite him being ruled out of Thursday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens due to a wrist ailment, according to a league official speaking to ESPN on Friday morning.

The Bengals posted a video on social media on Wednesday night, showing Burrow wearing what looked like a soft cast on his right hand as he got off the team bus. The post was later removed.

During the game against the Ravens, Burrow seemed to be affected by the injury before leaving the field in the second quarter and ultimately being ruled out at halftime.

Bengals’ head coach Zac Taylor stated after the 34-20 loss that initial assessments revealed Burrow had suffered a sprained right wrist and was seen in the locker room with a layered wrap around it.

Taylor mentioned that Burrow appeared to hurt his wrist earlier in the game, particularly after throwing a 4-yard touchdown pass, which turned out to be his final play of the game.

The coach admitted he was unaware of any wrist issues with Burrow before the game, saying, “That was the first I saw anything about it,” and expressing confidence in Burrow’s condition before the match.

The NFL routinely investigates potential violations of its injury report policy, with repercussions including team fines or the loss of a draft pick. In 2019, the Pittsburgh Steelers were fined $75,000 and coach Mike Tomlin $25,000 for inaccuracies in reporting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s injury status before a game.

Reporting by Adam Schefter and Ben Baby, ESPN.