Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz stuck up for the team on Wednesday after the organization received criticism for letting him play despite nursing a serious shoulder injury.
Wentz said he was fully on board with playing last Thursday against the Los Angeles Chargers, even though he was dealing with a torn labrum that ultimately required season-ending surgery. He added that he never asked coach Kevin O’Connell to take him out of the game, either.
“This isn’t my first rodeo,” Wentz said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN. “I’m not an idiot. I know what I was signing up for going out there. Nobody was forcing me, pressuring me, any of those things.”
Wentz initially suffered the shoulder injury on Oct. 5 against the Cleveland Browns, then played two games with the injury. He was particularly bad against the Chargers, when he threw for 144 yards while being in obvious physical pain. That led many to wonder why the Vikings did not put JJ McCarthy into the game, even though he was active as the backup.
McCarthy will start Sunday against the Detroit Lions, with the team now saying he is healthy enough to play. The team’s refusal to bench an injured and struggling Wentz for him will have many people wondering if the coaching staff has trust in him.
