An injury that most people would associate with winter could sideline Antonio Brown for the rest of the summer and into the fall.
The Oakland Raiders wide receiver has been sitting out of training camp with a foot injury he suffered when he got treatment at a French cryotherapy clinic in July without wearing proper foot protection. Apparently, Brown incurred a case of frostbite which has been described as both “extreme” and “severe” and is without a timetable to return to the team.
It’s a serious — and gross-looking — injury that could keep Brown out for months, according to someone else who’s had it, former Olympic champion sprinter Justin Gatlin.
In an interview with TMZ, Gatlin revealed what it was like after he got frostbite on both his feet and ankles after a similar cryotherapy mishap in 2011.
“It was a disaster. I had, like, boils and blisters all over my ankles,” Gatlin said. “Every day I had to get those blisters popped by hand by a therapist … It just got really, really bad.”
According to Gatlin, the recovery process for the injury is brutal. “He’s not going to be able to run those routes properly without healing his feet totally,” he said.
Brown can’t get back soon enough for head coach Jon Gruden.
“You know me, it is like waiting for Santa Claus,” Gruden said. “I have been really excited to coach this man. I think he is a great player and he is a great competitor. We need his life in this offense and on this football team. We will just cross our fingers. I will make no speculation whatsoever. He has to get it evaluated. He has to get the information he needs, and when he does, he will be back.”
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