Latest Josh Simmons leak comes days after Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid downplayed his placement on injured reserve
The Josh Simmons saga with the Kansas City Chiefs has a new chapter. This one suggests more is going on with him besides the back injury that landed him on injured reserve.
Kansas City Chiefs LT Josh Simmons is making headlines for the wrong reasons, just days after the team placed him on injured reserve for a nagging back injury.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport broke a story on Sunday morning about a confrontation between Coach Reid and Josh Simmons during a team meeting. This happened just before he landed on injured reserve.
According to their report, Simmons put his legs up during a team meeting. Coach Reid asked him to put them down. Simmons told Coach Reid that he needed to have them up because of his back injury. Coach Reid told Simmons to leave the team meeting and go seek treatment with the training staff if that was the case. Chiefs star QB Patrick Mahomes had to ultimately intervene to get Simmons to leave the meeting room.
“On Wednesday of last week, Josh Simmons, the Chiefs’ left tackle, who hasn’t played yet this year because of a back injury, was told to leave an offensive meeting by both Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. This, according to sources, to me and Ian Rappaport. And here’s how it went down: Simmons had his feet up. Reed told him, “Put your feet down.” He says, ‘I have to put my feet up because my back and my hips are hurting, so this is helping alleviate it.’ And Reed said, ‘If that’s a problem, then go get treatment.’ The two exchanged words. It got a little awkward. And then Mahomes said, ‘Go get treatment. Go leave the room.’ Simmons, on the way out the door, had words for the room as well. He later then apologized to Reed and team leadership. Said I could have handled that situation better. Again, the next day, he was placed on injured reserve as his back continues to bother him. They’re trying to find a solution here, and the hope is that rest will help alleviate that over the next couple of weeks. This is a supremely talented player, but he’s only played in eight of 22 games since he was drafted in the first round last year, so the hope is that he comes back with the right attitude and healthy, ready to go, and at some point gets on the field this year.”
MIKE GARAFOLO
NFL NETWORK INSIDER
This leak to NFL Network’s insiders comes just a day after Andy Reid insisted Josh Simmons’ placement on injured reserve, “isn’t that big of a story.” It seems like a big story, and that there’s more going on than a nagging back injury.
What Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid had to say after Josh Simmons was placed on IR
Before Chiefs HC Andy Reid left the lectern after Friday practice, reporters asked whether Simmons would continue his rehab in Kansas City.
“Rick (Burkholder) has got the plan for that,” Reid said. “They’ll stay in touch.”
The comments that followed? What appeared to be frustration boiling over about how much airtime this Simmons news was getting.
“I hope this isn’t asked of me every week,” Reid stated. “I mean, this is like, just put this to rest, and he’ll take care of that. And you guys, I mean, this isn’t that big of a story. Let’s focus on the football team, the guys we’re playing.”
Reid had already answered questions about the “back/personal” designation that Simmons received on Wednesday’s injury report.
“What we were doing was we were just making sure that it was, you know, you give them a chance… to sort it out with family, agents, all that,” Reid explained. “And when you’re dealing with backs, that’s a little different animal. That can go either way, and I thought Rick (Burkholder) and his crew have handled it well, and so has Josh (Simmons). I mean, he’s been here every day doing his rehab. So, it’s just those things; sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. So, we’ll just give him time here to see what goes on.”
On Thursday, Chiefs VP of Sports Medicine and Performance Rick Burkholder took everyone through the timeline of Simmons’ back injury. He explained the details of what he’d been through and where he was in rehab. Coach Reid followed that up on Friday, saying back injuries can be tricky. He believes that placing Simmons on IR buys them time to choose the best course of action.
“You know, doctors are involved, so they’re the ones that end up making the decisions along with Josh (Simmons),” Reid said. “So, backs are complicated. We all know that, and sometimes it works. Sometimes it might be longer time, extended time, and then sometimes you have to have the surgery. So, we think we will buy a little time, see how things work for them on the rehab part.”
Is that really what this decision is thought? After the latest bit of news from Rapoport and Garafolo, it feels like something else. Perhaps they’re taking a player who had become a distraction and putting him out of sight and out of mind.
