The NFL opened an investigation into the Miami Dolphins’ injury reporting practices Thursday afternoon.
According to a report per ESPN, the league will investigate whether the team mishandled an injury report regarding their starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill. (RELATED: NFL Week 6: Here Are The Most Important Moments You Might Have Missed)
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Tannehill was injured during the Dolphins’ October 7th game against the Bengals. Miami coach Adam Gase believes the quarterback was injured by Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap after a bad hit. He still maintains that Tannehill is on a “day-to-day,” schedule but told reporters Monday that this was an “unusual situation,” and that he’s “not sure” about it being a long-term injury.
“Anytime he’s been banged up or some kind of injury, he’s always progressed positively. That’s why we thought we would get the same thing. That didn’t happen. That’s why we waited until the last minute,” Gase said.
But the NFL is skeptical of Gase’s apparent lack of transparency, ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe says.
Ryan Tannehill is practicing once again today, but I haven’t seen him throw a pass yet. Rest has been the plan for him thus far this week.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) October 18, 2018
The sticking point, it seems, is Tannehill’s decline in ability to play, which appears to have happened overnight.
“The NFL will gather details of how Tannehill went from full practice participant last Wednesday and Thursday to limited participant/questionable on Friday to out on Sunday, and see whether Miami adhered to the league policy,” Wolfe writes.
NFL guidelines are clear about reporting injuries.
“The policy requires that teams provide credible, accurate and specific information about injured players to the league office, their opponents, local and national media, and the league’s broadcast partners each week during the regular season and postseason. The reporting process is of paramount importance in maintaining the integrity of the game,” official league guidelines read.
It’s also worth pointing out that teams are expected to give a detailed review of their lineup by 4:00 p.m. the day before a game.
“Teams must notify the league, their opponent, local and national media, and the league’s broadcast partners of the status of their injured players by 4 p.m. ET the day before their next scheduled game,” the rule says.
The Dolphins don’t play again until Sunday at 1:00 p.m. against the Lions, but any lag in reporting could be a sore point for Gase and company. Backup QB Brock Osweiler is expected to play instead.
We’ll monitor this situation closely.