The question during Monday’s OutKick meeting went as follows: Did Michael Robinson just give the worst-aged sports take in history?
It happened Thursday on NFL Network, when the former fullback suggested that Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was faking an injury so as not to be the fall guy for a losing team.
“He’s pulling himself out, so this doesn’t look like it’s on me,” Robinson said.
On October 4, Hurts was cleated in the calf against the Rams. Six days later, an ultrasound revealed a superficial blood clot. He still played against the Jaguars the following day in London, despite doctors reportedly keeping him awake all night over concerns about the risks associated with sleeping with a blood clot. On October 15, the Eagles released a statement saying Hurts wouldn’t play Sunday against the Panthers.
That night, Robinson chucked his now-infamous verbal air ball.
“If I’m Jalen Hurts or anybody in the Jalen Hurts’ camp, I’m saying ‘if everybody is hurt, then I’m hurt, too’,” he said, referring to the rash of injuries on the Eagles roster.
Robinson added: “I would advise all of our viewers to go Google ‘superficial blood clot’ as opposed to a real blood clot.”
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Well, it turns out Hurts’ condition was far more serious than Robinson suggested. Doctors subsequently discovered blood clots in his lungs — and now he’s expected to miss the rest of the season. Part of me wondered if Robinson’s season as a broadcaster was in jeopardy as well, although he did issue the following apology Monday night.”
“I want to sincerely apologize to Jalen Hurts, his family, the Philadelphia Eagles organization and fan base for my comments last Thursday. They were unfounded and I never should’ve speculated on a health issue of a player nor his commitment to this team.”
The mea culpa seems sincere — and boy was it necessary.
I will admit that my favorite key on my laptop is delete. It’s rare that I have to come up with an opinion on a hot mic. But to imply that a world-class athlete is exaggerating an injury to preserve his reputation is a staggering lapse in judgment.
On the off chance that Robinson was correct, he might have scored a day-long victory lap. But whiffing like that gave his credibility a permanent stain.
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Don’t get me wrong, there have been a lot of bad sports opinions that had little impact on the pundit’s career. In 2016, Max Kellerman said that Tom Brady was about to “fall off a cliff,” only to watch the QB win three more Super Bowls. In 2014, Skip Bayless said that Johnny Manziel was going to be bigger in Cleveland than LeBron James ever was. In 2010, Mel Kiper Jr. said he would retire from ESPN if Jimmy Clausen — who went 1-13 in the 14 NFL games he started — was not a successful quarterback. And last month, LA Times columnist Bill Plaschke said that this year’s Rams would go undefeated en route to the Super Bowl (they are 2-4).
But none of those takes attacked a man’s character the way Robinson attacked Hurts’. They might have been ridiculous, but they were also harmless.
Look, I don’t want to see Robinson lose his gig the way some online angry villagers do. He gave an egregious opinion, but one reckless remark shouldn’t erase a career’s worth of work.
This one is going to stick with the former Seahawk for a while, though, even with the apology. Bad predictions are forgotten. Baseless accusations aren’t.