After dispute over surgery, Jets cut guard Kelechi Osemele

Frank Schwab
·NFL writer
Updated

The New York Jets haven’t looked particularly good in any step of the dispute with injured guard Kelechi Osemele, and it was time to simply end the conversation. For now.

The Jets cut Osemele on Saturday, a day after he had surgery on his shoulder that the Jets didn’t approve of. Second and third opinions on the shoulder led Osemele to have immediate surgery, while the Jets thought he could put off surgery and keep playing. The Jets are 1-5.

The relationship is over, but that doesn’t mean we’ve heard the last of this dispute.

Kelechi Osemele dispute hasn’t been pretty

The ordeal has been messy in every way. The Jets wanted Osemele to keep playing. They sent blank MRI results to the doctor giving the second opinion, and claimed it was an honest mistake. The Jets were fining Osemele during the dispute.

Then on Saturday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said surgery revealed more damage than anticipated and Osemele’s representatives and the NFLPA were considering action against the Jets’ team doctor for violations of State Medical Board Regulations.

And after that, the Jets cut him.

Jets look terrible in Osemele ordeal

It would be hard for an organization to look more unprofessional in dealing with a player’s health issue. Osemele told the New York Daily News the Jets wouldn’t authorize the surgery because the “conflict is that the team does not think that I’m in pain.” Osemele said he couldn’t lift his arm. He had a torn labrum.

“A lot of guys play through injuries and you need that to play through an injury,” Osemele told the Daily News, referring to the painkiller Toradol. “But once it stops working and it doesn’t do anything for you anymore, then you’re at a point where it’s like, ‘Now what do I do?’ Do I take Vicodin? Where is the line? How much should a player play through pain? What is the limit? Is there a limit? Am I supposed to take Toradol every day? Does my health not matter?”

Even though the Jets have cut Osemele, let’s assume the team can still dig itself a bigger hole in this matter.

Injured guard Kelechi Osemele was cut by the Jets on Saturday. (Getty Images)
Injured guard Kelechi Osemele was cut by the Jets on Saturday. (Getty Images)

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

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