New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye suffered a right shoulder injury during the AFC Championship Game, raising questions about his status leading into Super Bowl LX and whether the team properly disclosed his condition under NFL injury-reporting rules.
In the week following the conference title game, Maye appeared on the Patriots’ injury report with mixed practice participation. He was listed as a limited participant and later did not practice at points during the lead-up. During Super Bowl week, however, Maye was a full participant in practice and remained listed on the injury report with a right shoulder designation, but he carried no game-status label for the Super Bowl.
After the game, Maye told reporters that he received a pain-numbing injection in his right shoulder prior to kickoff. That disclosure sparked debate among fans and media about whether the Patriots failed to properly report the injury or violated league rules.
According to Dr. David Chao, also known as Pro Football Doc, the Patriots’ handling of Maye’s injury was consistent with NFL requirements.
“The Patriots did everything appropriately,” Chao said. “In their reporting of Drake Maye, I get how some people can be upset. ‘Well, if he needed a painkilling injection, why wasn’t he on the injury report and the team is lying?’ No — the team followed the rules.”
Chao noted that Maye never came off the injury report and that the key obligation for teams is to provide an honest assessment of a player’s likelihood to play. Under NFL rules, teams may list a player as out, doubtful, questionable, or provide no designation at all — the latter meaning the player is expected to play.
“They had him on there as nothing, meaning he’s 100% playing,” Chao said. “He played. There’s no shenanigans there.”
Chao added that teams are not required to disclose treatment details such as injections, provided there is no doubt about the player’s availability.
“They were confident he was playing with or without injection,” Chao said. “You don’t need to state that. As long as you’re confident and there’s no doubt that he’s playing with or without an injection, that’s OK.”
The New England Patriots ultimately complied with league policy by keeping Maye listed on the injury report while accurately reflecting his readiness to play, even as he managed pain related to the shoulder injury.
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