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If you watched the NFL game on Monday night of the Jacksonville Jaguars loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, you probably saw the Jags quarterback go down with a high ankle sprain.
Their star QB tried to walk off and then dropped to the turf, pounding his fist and throwing his helmet in disgust at the injury.
Later, he was shown limping along very slowly in the tunnel toward the locker room with the help of two people supporting him.
One quick look on Twitter and other social media platforms showed you quite a few "hot take" GIFs from an Austin Powers movie, where Powers was stuck trying to turn around a cart.
Many were asking, "Where's the cart?!" or "Why is he walking off the field on his own?!"
Well, we now know that it was not the fault of the medical personnel or the stadium staff.
The blame falls on Trevor Lawrence, the Jaguars injured quarterback.
Lawrence made the call to walk all the way to the locker room on that sore ankle.
The Jags No. 1 overall pick from a few years ago sustained a right high-ankle sprain when his teammate, left tackle Walker Little, accidentally stepped on him during a pass play. The severity of the injury was immediately apparent to Lawrence, who expressed his frustration on the field.
However, Lawrence walked off the field with the help of two Athletic Trainers.
This choice sparked confusion and anger among fans.
But the injured QB addressed the media on Wednesday, clarifying that the decision to walk was his own, not a lapse on any part of the medical staff.
He shared his initial intention to use a cart but opted to walk when he saw how close the tunnel was, underestimating the length of the journey to the locker room.
"Once I got in there I’m like, ‘This is a pretty long walk.’ I was already there, and they asked again if I wanted a cart. I was like, ‘No, we’re gonna make it the whole way there.’ I didn’t know there was cameras in the tunnel."
He may have miscalculated the injury itself, too.
Some experts say that walking on a high ankle sprain can make the condition worse.
We're reasonably sure that the Athletic Trainers at his side were assuring him of this, but we're also quite sure they could not force him to ride the cart.
It was very important for him to accept the blame and acknowledge that he turned away the help that he needed. And we do not know all the details — only the ATs and Lawrence know what was said that night.
The Jaguars are hopeful that their star quarterback won’t be sidelined for an extended period. Test results have shown no structural damage to Lawrence's ankle, but he is expected to be absent for multiple weeks due to the sprain.
