Shawne Merriman Talks With Former Chargers Team Doctor David Chao About Tyrod Taylor's Punctured Lung Dealing With Shawne's Injuries.

we're talking about, uh, Tyrock Taylor's injury. What my former team doctor David Child my time down there with the San Diego charges, and um, you know, he's our team doc, so he knows a lot about these injuries, A guy who I spent a lot of time with and uh, you know some just some of the cases he's seen. You know, I've been uh shot up before games. I've had to have knees and ankles and shoulders and things

drained in order to make it into the game. So um one the guy always say, guys, it's the players who make the decision. No team doctor, No one's gonna come in and just started automatically shoot you up a quarter zone light of kin, whatever it may be, pain pills, paint, whatever it is. No one's gonna walk in and shoot you up without the players saying Okay, this is what I want. So I see the things that's being said with Tyrod Taylor and um, his long being punctured, and

those things happen. It's unfortunate. Uh, those things happen. But I've heard much more worse than that. So we're gonna talk to David Child again and get this thing going. You know, I always always say that it's the it's the players decision on what they want to do. Right. Um, you've always presented an option. You're always told if there could be any repercussions or further damage or you always can you always are told to side effects when it's when it comes to making decision to get a shot

before the game or night before the game. Um. You know, I recall some of the times, even the night before games with us of of you and and James coming up and sitting in the hotel room and we're talking whether it's about my knee, if I had something that was swollen, if it needs to be drained and you know, shot up there, you know, anything to decrease some of the inflammation. And you guys will sit right there in my room and we'll talk before anything has even happened.

So when I when I see certain things and we're talking about Tyrod Taylor in UM, you know his ribs and and and the decision to be shot up, and then what happened from that, so that the news that came out, even though you said that Monday, Um, it's all first and all one as when they get that out, it's always the player's decision on what they want to do. Absolutely, I mean lights. Since we're bringing up some of your stuff. You had a major knee injury, and this is my

recollection of the story. I might be off by a day or a week. You had that bad injury and I said to you when it happened, I think you're gonna need surgery. I don't think you're gonna make it. And knowing how tough you are, I remember coming to practice one day because we got you embrace in the meantime, and I always come at the end and I see you running out around out there, I'm like James Collinson head athletically, I'm like, what's that? He goes, that's lights.

And so you finished off that season and at the end of that season, I said you needed major surgery, and you said, I'm going to the Pro Bowl, and I was like, okay. And then I happened to be the doctor of the Pro Bowl. You came back for the Pro Bowl. I said, you need surgery. And you said, but I just played it in the Pro Bowl. And I said, Sean, I drained your knee for you to play in the Pro Bowl. You're twenty four years old. You need the surgery. And you know we went down

that path. And so you chose to have or not have surgery, right, And and we talk about things for example, yes, yeah, and and so, and I remember that, and I remember that conversation. And I also remember me trying to go around the country. I've seen three three different doctors because I wanted to play. I wanted to play. I knew my I knew what stage my my knee was in,

but I didn't know the timing of it. Right. So I'm twenty four years old, and you know that it's gonna be at least eight or nine month deal, right, you know it's going to be that. So you don't want to be told that you can't play. You you can't do a certain things. Were talking around on the combines, and you want to see another doctor, and and I want to see two different doctors. I went, I went down, you saw a bunch and I remember having a conversation

with you in in late February March. I said, well, well we could, and you said, okay, I'll do the surgery. But I'm playing week one and I'm saying I don't have that surgery because it's a bigger surgery than you said. Well, then I'm not doing it. And that's why you tried to play and then, believe or not when you were going around getting all the second opinions and obviously the team wasn't giving you their contracts, so you were not

thrilled with them. Uh. I was getting shipped and the local I think you can say ship on the podcast, but I was getting grief from local San Diego media saying I somehow screwed you up because I should have told you you needed surgery. And I'm like, and I couldn't say anything, but I was like, I'm who told me you needed the surgery way back. And then the team, as you remember, said well, what's up with Shaun? Can

you find out? I mean, well, the whole world thinks that you're mad at me, and the reality is we're tight with everything. And I'm the one texting you saying what's going on? And I remember you were flying back from New York and going to Minnesota, and I gave you the name of another doctor in Minnesota to send me up to go see. I mean, but that's what people don't know, the real truth behind the scenes, right, Yeah, no,

for sure. And you know, I don't take it back to even when, uh, when I had to plant a fasciitis. It was a time that uh their tone and we had the foot injuries, but I had to plan a fasciitis and I remember the it was four or six inch needle that that had of light of cain. That's that's not a fun injection. No, you know, got look, I tell anybody I said, the knee was bad, to

shoulder bad as you know, at risk was bad. But on sheer pain, on trying to get ready, it was the plan of fasciitis and taking the needle straight into the bottom of my foot for I think two or three weeks back to back in order to go out damn play. And I said that that pain, that pain was just as worse as anything because you know, like you're not really feeling too much below the ankle, yes, and and and that's very painful. But you know, my I don't know. There's so many good stories with with

involving you and good times. My favorite Shawn Merriment story since we had permission to tell them, and you don't even know what it is. So this at your own risk. I still remember in New York versus the Jets, towards the end of the game, there is a goal line stand and we win. You come off the field and show me your wrist, and you had dislocated your risk wrist. You're doin it on your wrist, and I'm like, holy sick, that happened last play, like no, like three plays ago.

You never even came out of the game. I mean, and you finished the goal line stand because you're like, oh, we gotta stop him, and you dislocated your wrist. As a matter of fact, if we didn't get that bone back in your wrist, it would have been emergency surgery in New York. You wouldn't have flown home. We luckily got it back, and look at that. You've never missed the season that has ended other people's seasons. And you were like, let's find a way. I said, okay, We'll

put in thicker pins with threads. Your pins sticking out of your wrist, you had surgery, you played with the cast, you didn't miss any time that year. Yeah, but you know that's the thing, uh day, because we I always look at us as like modern day gladiators, right, and certain players you you know who and what you're dealing with, Like certain guys can have a bigger pain threshold, certain guys can play through anything. In the mindset is different. Um, at what point for you do you go and tell

a guy like no, Like, what what is? Has it ever been a time where you where you go to a guy like listen, maybe you could maybe not? Maybe not? But no, Yeah, I do all the time. And any time where there's irreparable harm, you gotta say no. Now if it's playing through the pain making it worse but it will eventually get better. Those are areas of consent any time where there's potential of permanent damage and irreversible damage.

Like we use the needle a fair amount, no secret, But I never numbed up someone's knee joints to play because you can end up with further articular car early damage in arthritis. Uh So, there's certain things that where you can take a risk and certain things that you

just can't. So there's a lot of times we said no. Look, a lot of times players got met and it wasn't always just me, but you know, around the legal I mean remember Dr Eason whatever he remember there was a linebacker and I won't say Who's a fairly intimidating guy who said who. Basically Drson was afraid of because he told him he couldn't come back into the game and he thought he was gonna get punched. And I was like, We're good, he's not mad at You're not gonna punch.

But yeah, you gotta say no. You know, he goes, I feel fine, No, you have the concussion. No, that's what we're When there's risk of long term damage, you have to say no. So so let's take it back to like ty roge deal, right, he had to rip uh and he wanted to play, and it was something that came out about him uh being injected. But his longest something like that getting hit. Now, I don't I

don't know the engine now. It is like sometimes like I of the world, and I understand that when you see a headline it's like, oh my god, he pusture is lung we oh my god. You know, people freak out by reading two or three sentences because I mean, point blank, sometimes people just lazy and they don't want to look at everything. So which when in that case could and should happen? Or how much do you understand like about when when something like that goes down? Well,

unfortunately I understand a lot of it, which is why. Look, Sean, I'm not a source reporter. You know very well. I'm on great terms with James who's still there, with Damon Marco, all the trainers and guys there. But I don't pick up the phone and say, hey, what happened to Tyrod yesterday? They wouldn't tell me, right because the hippa, and they

would actually hang up on me. We were friendly, we have a great relationship, but you just don't ask things like that, and and and by the way, if they would have told me, because I'm a medical professional, because of HIPPA, I wouldn't be able to repeat it. So I don't ask them. So Monday, when I talked about as like, here's the fact pattern Tyrod Taylor was a

surprise nonstarter. He was on reports, said he was fine after during pregame and somewhere between pregame and the start of the game, something happened, and I'm like, okay, what would have happened. I mean, it's not because he rough housed in the locker room and hurt himself. It's not like a healthy NFL player gets a heart attack in

chess pain. And it was announced with chess pain, and I knew it was medical because they showed him on the side sidelines cut of rubbing his chest and it was the medical doctor, not the orthopedic doctor there chess pain. He went to the hospital and then I went back and looked and saw that he was on the injury report for RIB on Friday. So that's where I go, Oh, okay. So he went in after pre game. Now he completed a pre game, but that's difference between finishing game and

getting hit in the ribs, which is gonna happen. So he gets the shot, so he doesn't feel pain whatever. The lung lining is very close to where it is now. I had my assistant count and we probably did somewhere between fifty and probably about si rib blocks in my time in my seventeen years knock on wood. We've never hit the long lining, but it is a known risk, and so what what fact pattern, what thing? One thing

would put all this together? To me? I mean, if you have a puddle of water on the floor and your sink doesn't work, the sink leak and cause the puddle of water. It's not like you have a roof leak and the sink broke at the same time. You want to tie everything together, right, So the fact pattern that was there by tying it all the debt together, that's how I said, well, this is probably what happened,

and that's why I talked about it on Monday. And uh, this is why I also said yesterday Justin Herbert's the week three starter, because what did Anthony Lynn say? Everyone took it as he's standing behind Tyrod Taylor. His exact words were, if he's a hundred percent, he's my starter.

And so I wrote an article Yester saying he's not gonna be a hundred percent for a week three Even if the lung is a d percent, the rib still hurts and there's no way you can expect him to get another rib injection rib block injection, so he won't be a hundred percent. And that's why Justin Herbert is a week three starter. Yesterday, actually I just heard That's what I was just texting your tweeting that Coach Lynn

admitted that and said Herbert's the starter today. So just deducing information from this silly pro football doc thing that we do, no And for me, Um, you know, I always always look at it like that. You know the possibilities, abilities, you know what could happen, and you're not just recalls so many times, maybe not feeling that well during the week, possibly been limping around in the boot, depending on which

injury you gotta ankle. On my case, it was achilles at one point where I had to tend the nights build up and just I couldn't really do a whole lot during the week. But that still doesn't change from you being a game time decision. You know, you get out there and you're gonna start warming up. And I tell anybody I said, you can be. You can go in the stadium rolling in on a wheelchair. You get

in front of those fans and under those lights. Somehow, some way, whatever you was feeling during the week is gone. And that is why you know, guys go through it

and are game time decisions. And when I looked at Tyrod, I was like, Okay, he maybe he did feel good all week, maybe he did get through the warm ups, and maybe he did just need a little bit so he's not you know, when he's throwing the ball and he's not turning just that much, he's not getting that little pinch, that little cringe or it feels like something's gonna tear or you can't breathe or whatever. Whatever the deal was, he just needed that little bit of age

to go and play the game. Yeah, but here's the other thing. It's natural for you. I mean, you always played to everything, and uh, you know the not everyone is like that. Though. You have to know your guy and know your player, right, I mean, I know what your mindset was. I needed to warn you of the risks, but I know what you were going to say. But I just had to do my due diligence right where there's others you have to explain it in more detail

and call their agents. And that's fine to each his own. I've often been asked this question. I was asked it yesterday, and this is why it's on the top of my mind. And since you're here, I never really thought about it. But since it's your podcast, I'll give you this. I hope you don't mind being second. Okay, I've been asked the question, who's the best player you've ever taken care of and who's the worst player you ever taken care of in terms of medically right, And my answer that

question always been it's the same guyft Junior Sales. He was the best player ever took care of, and he was the worst player ever took care of. Why best because he would do anything and played through anything, and worst because he would not listen to anything and just go um, no offense. It's a compliment your second place on that list. I'm good man. Look, you know I felt about Joe buck Man. It's just what he's on

the podcast. And I've never forget looking at his fingers and his fingers, uh, and his toes when he's ran the flip loss and stuff, and I'm like, he got some crazy he has some crazy figures and hands and just hearing. And I would when I played personally, I would ask you all the time about him, you know, when practice habits were like what did he do? Would he go see? And all this other stuff because I was just, uh, you know, I wanted to be junior and I wanted to be better than Junior, because I

knew that was the bar. If you ever wanted to be up any kind of Mountain Rushmore, you wanted to be looked at as a great player, you had to figure out what the hell that he did. So now being on being second on that list, brother, I'm not I'm not complaining one bit. Yeah, just for longevity, right, yeah, he played nineteen years. I'm good being on that second list. So, um, what do you what do you think that happens here? Um?

And just walking through the process of people like I look on Twitter and everybody's like so so so so, so I've seen it ten times, Right, I've seen this ten times, And and to me, I just feel like we got in such a Sue happy world and people don't understand what that means and what do you got to go through and and and and what basis you

have to even think of something like that? And I'm looking and like, what what are you thinking about the reason why my Twitter, my podcast revelation of Tyrod Taylor Monday didn't hit big news is because I didn't I downplayed it. I gave it honest I treated it honestly. I knew very well if I would have said team doctor punctures Tyrod Taylor's lungs. I would have been the number one trending story on sports on Monday. But that's not unfair to the doctor. I know who the doctor is.

I won't say his name. I don't want him to get grief. It's part of the hazards of what it is. It's a known complication. It shouldn't happen. Look, I did seventy five or eighty of them, but it's a known complication. Hey, Sean, you've probably made a hundred tackles and then missed one. I mean, you're not a bad doesn't make you a bad player. Um Tom Brady in Week one through a pick six. His career is not done. He's not a bad player. He's the goat. I wasn't trying to impugne

this one doctor. That's why I sort of explained it factually, which probably downplayed it. Now, if he told Tyrod about the risks, that's one thing that covers in Also, there is no long term damage. Tyrod will be one fine. If this week were the super Bowl and Tyrod was the guy, he would play. But in a Week three game, when there's still a little slight chance of this that the other you're gonna see him, which is what's happening. So you're gonna sue him. Look, anyone can sue anyone.

There's nothing he made the day one roster. He's still gonna get paid. You know. Will there be a creative way to see something like you could sue him? Uh? Is it good form? No? I mean, look the doctor, it shouldn't have happened. Don't do it. He knows it. I'm sure he feels bad about it. He didn't do it on purpose. He's human, and it's not like he did a rib injection and uh punctured his kidney. That's

end of story. Malpractice, right, And by the way, in fairness to them, they reacted and treated him right and sent him to the hospital to make sure and Tyrod is gonna be fine. So I don't know if they're gonna assume or not. I mean, it's it's his right to do so, I get. I mean, look at look at the punishment this guy is gonna get. He's gonna be remembered for this with his team and career. I

think that's enough punishment for him. I'll bet it never ever, ever, ever, happens again, and and and I feel bad for him, but you know, I get the headlines right and and I'm not hating on anyway with the headlines, just the way that it's spun. I I wasn't trying to do that on Monday. And and now I promise you I'm not trying to cover for the guy. I know who he is, but he's not my friend. I mean, I don't know him. And I'm not trying to cover for

the professional. I'm just trying to give all sides. It's like someone's saying to you, Sean, well, why didn't you stay with that tight end? Well, you were, it wasn't your coverage responsibility, But you don't say that. You just say, you know, it is what it is. I'll make the tackle next time, you know. I mean, it is what it is. Yeah, And I said the same thing man. And And I don't know what's going through Tyrod Taylor's head.

I don't know how he personally feels about the situation. Um, But like you said, he's gonna be a d He's gonna come back from it. He'll be fine. It's not something that's gonna jeopardize his career. Um. But you know, at the end of the day, if he if he wants to go and sue and and and press the fact and do all that stuff and he can't, it's not a big deal. That mean you got the right to do that. I just I just feel that when

you're talking to I like, call it normal people. Right, when you're talking to normal, average, every day people who run running in the living room and they bumped their shin on a coffee table or a couch and they get on the ground and they're rolling around and they're crying and screaming. Was like, now, do you know, get up and do that seventy five times. And that's what it's like to play football. Yeah. And here's what I

always say. Football is not a contact sport. Anyone who says football is a contact sport, they are dead wrong. Basketball is a contact sport. Football is a collision sport. Big big difference. I remember when I this is how old I am, Sean when I was first and I worked in the NFL and a little bit as an assistant in Chicago and in Minnesota. But I remember my first times with the Chargers going Natron means remember him,

great running back. He would come into the training room on Monday and could barely walk, but he was super agile on Sunday. I mean literally that sort. I mean, that's why all you guys wanted tore it all right. I mean, you know, I mean for the next day, not as much for the game, but for the next day. I was he couldn't walk, but the next Sunday he do it again. I mean the bruising look. And here's what people understand. They think, you're there watching the game

one time. You know this, you've seen this. We're busy before the game and after the game, and on the injury report you see two guys that we didn't have three doctors on the road to take care of two guys in a given day. I mean we're busy, right, I mean there are times you'd come in ready for what you wanted or needed, and we say, I give us a second. We're doing something that you know. It is a joke when someone says to me, well, that guy was on the injury report, he wasn't hurt. Uh,

that ain't how it works, my friend. There's a lot of people. Every team doesn't have four or five, sometimes six athletic trainers, and every Monday and money morning and minimum of three doctors because we're taking care of two people. I mean, there's a lot going on that people don't see. Oh,

trust me. I remember the knocks on up and down the door and they you know, you know, the team trainers and team doctors, they go a knockdown, knock on the door to everyone who had a problem, you know, the night before, if you got a knee, a swaller, you know, swollen knee or hamstring, whether you're dropping off a tennis machine and somebody's hotel you know, hotel room the night before, or you're given guys uh whatever it is, you know, toward off something for swelling something for maybe

it's keeping them from sleeping. I mean, and you you will literally walked down the hallway and making sure you guys are right. And so that's the things that people don't get a chance to see. That. Yeah, you know, a couple of guys might pop up on an injury report because they're truly injured or might be a game

time decision. But trust you mean, there's about twenty guys that you're knocking on the door and you're dropping off ice, you're dropping off ice buckets, tense machines, uh ace bandages because guys are you know, are not a hundred percent going into the game. Yeah, that's right. And the other thing, that other favorite line I always say, Look, I've covered

I'm not denigrading baseball, basketball, whatever. I've covered those sports too. Well, let me tell you what's different about football, and you'll back me up on this. I'm sure is a good day. I mean, no, that's that's a hundred that I mean because that the day that you step on the field for training camp. From that, from that one day, that first day, you're never one hundred percent until the end

of the season. You gotta ring a finger, a risk or lower back, a shoulder, a neck, a toe, I mean, ankle, go you go for it. You're never a hundred percent. So if you can get that works, yep, yep, absolutely absolutely. All right, Well a cool brother. I appreciate you for coming on, Dave man Um, you know, keep up to go work with Pro Football Doc and have me on some of these times when when these injuries pop up, because I had enough of him, I'll have you all.

I like opening might look. Actually I've been a little podcast hiatus because all season was you know joint out Kick and they're revamping some things. And don't you worry, I'll take you up on it for sure, my friends. All right, man, you got it. Thank you, by by so again. I appreciate David Child for coming on. Um, you know, I spent a lot of time as you can tell. I spent a lot of time with him in my tea, my time with the sand Ego charges down there, and um, he knows a lot about it.

You know, he's been there. I've been there. I know those talks and I know how things go, especially when it gets from game time. So thanks for tuning in. Don't guys, don't forget to subscribe, don't forget to rate me. And we're gonna be back with another one. Man, We're gonna keep rolling.