Surprise surgery for Bills’ Taylor?
Club ‘informed’ late in process
The Tyrod Taylor clock has officially started.
In the span of about three weeks, the Buffalo Bills quarterback has been benched, watched as his head coach was fired and, finally, hit the operating table for groin surgery Thursday, something that apparently came as a surprise to the NFL team’s front office.
The news of the 27-year-old’s surgery, performed by Dr. William Meyers, came about in an odd way. First, Taylor posted Snapchat pictures of himself in a hospital gown. Soon after, the Bills sent out a statement that said Taylor “had a consultation visit yesterday with Dr. William Meyers and elected to have surgery this morning. The Bills were informed late yesterday of this morning’s procedure.”
The words “elected” and “informed” imply Taylor might have decided to have the surgery himself, and the Bills were simply bystanders.
Taylor has 65 days to pass his off-season physical or Buffalo could be on the hook for a US$27.5-million injury guarantee. It’s looking more and more unlikely, but general manager Doug Whaley — or whoever is calling the shots — could still decide Taylor’s the long-term guy and exercise the options in his contract by March 11.
GREGORY SUSPENDED
Things aren’t going well for Randy Gregory.
Already hit with two suspensions for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, the Dallas Cowboys edge-rusher was hit with a minimum oneyear ban without pay for his third violation on Thursday.
The suspension is effective immediately and is believed to be for missing another drug test, which is what earned him a 10-game ban last off-season.
Gregory, a second-round pick in the 2015 NFL draft, made his season debut in Week 16 and recorded his first sack last week.
ROUGH RAIDERS NEWS
Connor Cook is the last QB standing in Oakland, but he might not have a vital cog protecting him this weekend.
Heading into Saturday’s AFC wild card game against the Houston Texans, the Raiders are worried they won’t have left tackle Donald Penn available. Penn hasn’t practised this week due to a knee injury.
COLEMAN IN TROUBLE?
After a horrendous 2016, the Cleveland Browns were hoping for more luck in 2017. It hasn’t started well.
On Thursday, rookie receiver Corey Coleman’s name showed up in a police report of an alleged assault that took place in a Cleveland condominium complex in the early morning hours of Dec. 31. An alleged encounter outside the elevator left a man with a concussion and a ruptured eardrum.
Coleman’s lawyer said there’s video footage proving his client wasn’t involved.
“My client denies participating in this incident,” Kevin Spellacy said in a statement. “He will fully co-operate with the appropriate authorities and looks forward to clearing his name from what has been alleged.”