Former NFL Player Fred Taylor Accuses League Doctors of Hiding Severe Injuries From Him

Former NFL player Fred Taylor says league doctors hid a series of very serious injuries from him and told him he could play with them.

August 31, 2016

Not Available Lead — Image via Complex Original
Complex Original

Fred Taylor was an NFL running back who retired from the league in 2010 at 15th on the career rushing yards list. He spent most of his 13-year career with the Jaguars, and throughout his time in the NFL, he amassed almost 3,000 touches, which led to a number of injuries that, fair or not, earned him the unenviable nickname "Fragile Freddy." And apparently, some of those injuries were way more severe than he thought at the time. So severe that he's still suffering with several of them today.

On Wednesday morning, Taylor jumped on Twitter and notified his followers that, after undergoing a thorough medical exam that included a bunch of MRIs and X-rays, he learned that he currently has a broken clavicle and two partially-torn labrums in his shoulders. And again, he hasn't played pro football for six years now, so these aren't new injuries. He believes they're injuries that NFL doctors found and then hid from him in order to get him back on the football field back during his playing days:

Despite this, Taylor claims he was recently denied "line of duty" benefits by the NFL. These benefits are given to players who suffer incapacitating injuries during their careers. He spoke about it on Twitter and also told a fan about how health care benefits run out for most ex-NFL players after just five years:

Additionally, Taylor addressed his "Fragile Freddy" nickname and said that—surprise, surprise—he doesn't like it. At all:

Taylor then went on to answer some questions from fans about how NFL players go about taking care of injuries, which sounds like a rather complicated process:

If you've ever wondered how an NFL running back like Taylor can carry the ball 30 times every game and then go on to lead a healthy and productive life after football, Taylor's tweets should give you a good indication of just how difficult it can be.