A mistake by a Los Angeles Chargers doctor essentially cost Tyrod Taylor his starting job this season, but the veteran quarterback is not looking to hold the team accountable.
Taylor had his lung punctured by a team doctor who was giving him a pain-killing injection prior to the Chargers’ Week 2 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The NFL Players Association immediately began investigating the situation, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Wednesday that Taylor has declined to file a grievance. The NFLPA is still looking into the incident to explore ways to avoid it happening again in the future.
Taylor intended to play through a rib injury before the injection punctured his lung. Rookie Justin Herbert would not have gotten the start in Week 2 if not for the doctor’s mistake, and Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn even said at one point that Taylor was not going to los his starting job because of a medical mistake. Though, Lynn made it clear that he did not blame the doctor.
It’s possible that Taylor has a good enough relationship with the Chargers where he chose not to pursue the grievance. He also may not have had a very strong case, as one former NFL player noted back in September that there is language in the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and NFLPA that protects teams from being sued in these types of situations.
Taylor entered the season as L.A.’s starter, and Lynn initially had some harsh remarks about why Herbert was not ready to take Taylor’s job. Herbert then began to play well and is having an excellent rookie season with 23 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions. It would have made no sense for the Chargers to turn back to Taylor, though the circumstances surrounding the QB change were certainly unfortunate.
