News: Leon Washington to be Placed on Injured Reserve Today
The Jets are starting to announce details about the injury to Leon Washington. Leon will be put on the injured reserve for the remainder of the 2009 season and it seems that Washington suffered compound fractures of both his tibia and fibula … meaning that there was soft tissue damage associated with the break of both bones.
Bruce Speight the spokesman for the Jets talked to the press today telling Bob Glauber of Newsday that ”everything is going as well as we could hope at this point.” Two team personnel, Jets’ assistant athletic trainer Dave Zuffelato and team doctor Dr. Ken Montgomery remained overnight in Oakland with Washington.
After the injury at the stadium, Washington was x-rayed and splinted before being taken to Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley CA for immediate surgery. Three doctors spent a total of two hours each on the surgery and was determined to be a successful one for Washington. To stabilize the fracture, a rod was inserted into the tibia, while the doctors agreed that the fibula will heal on its own accord with immobilization. Washington will remain in California until at least Wednesday, and will return to New Jersey via Woody Johnson’s private jet.
Speight made mention that Leon is in good spirits today.
We wish Leon a speedy recovery and can’t wait to see him rested and ready to go for the 2010 season.
48 Responses to News: Leon Washington to be Placed on Injured Reserve Today
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DanFerr says:
Seriously, though, I hope he gets a new contract in the next few weeks and returns ready for action in 2010.
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cmonleon says:
i really hate how this worked out. leon was one of my favorite players and i know that at the end of the season there gonna chase him out of town for the money : (
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will says:
This just sucks for the guy. Hope his recovery goes well and we see him back 100% next year.
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GANGGREEN says:
I have a ton of respect for Leon as a person and a player.To have this happen to him in a contract year worries me though as to the fact that the Jets organization never pulled the plug in the off season to resign him to an extension on his contract…Does this serious injury put an even larger gap in the resigning of Washington next year..I hope not.Thoughts and Prayers are with you Leon in hopes of a full and speedy recovery…JET FAN FOR LIFE…..
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starz31 says:
Thats why Cimini posted the potential “career-threatening” post last night. Obviously, he posted that right away and may have been just trying to report something…but from what i’ve heard and read, is that any injury to both the tibia and fibula is very serious. And there isn’t much out there in terms of precedent in players returning to top form, or not, with this particular injury.
I know Sproles broke his fibula, the non-weightbearing bone, and he’s obviously doing fine.
Too early to say anything really. But its obvious why this is a season-ending injury and not only a 6-8 week thing.
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david i says:
I hate to say this from the business side of football, but this is exactly why Tanny did not sign him long term for the money he wanted. He needed to see if he could hold up to the pounding of the entire season while getting more and more touches. Unfortunately, he didn’t and he doesn’t get burned out of committed bucks. Not to say Tanny isn’t upset by losing Leon to an injury, which hurts the team, but inside he confirmed to himself that he is a good “business” GM, as well, by saving the money and drafting Greene.
Sorry to see Leon hurt, but this is another reason why Tanny is a good GM.
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to be honest, no reason to give the guy a new contract now…i think he needs to get one, but it is foolish for the organization to bank on anything until they see him return. I know that is horrible to even write or acknowledge, but thats just the reality of where we are.
He did take out an insurance policy prior to this season. But i’m hoping, he will be fine, he will return to top form, but I can’t blame the team if they wait just a little while before giving him anything, unless he just flat out accepts the offer thats out on the table now (around $5 mil a year)…if its still there.I do actually believe that Tanny wont leave him hanging. He will get a full chance with our team to earn his money…wow i cant believe i have to say “earn” his money, such a shame.
Remember, our organization didn’t turn their back on Jamie Henderson.
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Jets69 says:
God Speed Leon!-I hope he comes back strong, but I think Keels really overplayed his hand and hurt Leon. He got lucky with Smith in Cincy, but it really is gonna cost Leon a ton of Money. Let’s hope the Jets do the right thing and at least give him a chance to earn the money through incentives.
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DaveTN says:
I hope for Leon’s sake that the insurance payout will be some compensation if he can’t return. Anybody remember Leon Johnson’s injury years ago? Was it a leg as well? He was a very similar player to Washington.
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Wise Old Jet Fan says:
I think Keels just twittered that he is willing to accept the original offer. Twit.
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Louis says:
http://profootball.scout.com/2/777697.html after the saints set themselves to cut reggie bush after the season, should we sign him instead?
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david harris says:
oh boy =(
ugh
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SackDance99 says:
IMO, you just can’t sign Leon until he is fully re-habbed, especially if he wants big bucks. I can’t blame Tanny if he signs Leon to a low base, incentive laden contract. Leon knew the risk, he could’ve had a $4 million+ offer and his agent blew it for him.
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dmsarad says:
I agree with the general consensus here.
Good move not signing Leon. SOmetimes it just breaks this way. I feel awful for Leon and his production will certainly be missed.
While this is a business, I do hope the Jets take care of Washington. It was a good story with Jamie Henderson and it helps when bringing in free agents when you have a reputation for taking care of people even after significant injuries. I remember at least one big FA saying they were moved by the Jamie Henderson thing. Anyone remember who it was?
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supercooljetfan says:
im not a dr. but im gonna concur that this diagnosis sucks
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with the emergence of the running game and clowney plus j-co should be a go this week i feel the passing game should get better hopefully they take it slow tho
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I agree with dance!!! on another note, does anyone think that we will see woodhead returning kicks next week??
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TruJetFan says:
Fortunately for the jets Sean Greene looked so good yesterday. But Washington was certainly the kind of guy you wanted on your team for a long long time. I feel sick for him. Woody… give him some money!!!
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JesusRevis says:
I dont think ive ever been this emotional about a player getting hurt. I love Leon Washington, I love everything about him, the way he plays, the way he carries himself, hes a great guy on and off the field. Nothing would make happier than to see him have a full recovery and get a new contract from the Jets.
We’re all pulling for you Leon
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WW85 says:
Jesus, I agree completely. I have never been more upset after a win. A lot of posts here are wrong. the Jets did offer LW a reasonable contract which would have given him a contract +$5mm injury insurance. He gambled & refused.
Football players deserve more than any other pro athletes. They put their bodies on the line. For Leon to only get $500k this season is disgusting to me.
I do think Rex should have sat all the starters in Q4. Who cares about the shutout in a game that sloppy?
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Suprisingly I was not devastated when Leon went down. I was much more upset from a team point of view when Jenkins went down. Not sure why …. but I felt worse with Big Jenks…..
I love Leon and love that he was a 4th round gem and feel awful that he got hurt…What sucks for him is he has lost all leverage in any negotiations with the Jets.
All of the things the organzation talk about internally…. more touches could he hold up? More touches will his KO be affected? Can he be an every down back? All of the question were partially answerd fair or not with this injury.
With one wrogn step…… Leon and Alvin Keels went from top of the hill……to ??
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Drew,
I think I was more devastated by the Jenkins injury because it happened first, and with that injury my expectations immediately went down. Jenkins is much harder to replace than Leon too, so that was another reason why the Jenkins injury hit me a little harder.
Either way, the Leon injury was a freak accident that could happen to any player on any play, it was not a result of him getting more carries. Alvin Keels is horrible, hopefully leon will fire him, hire a new agent, and re-sign with the Jets.
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WW85??
Why is it disgusting that Leon is only making 500K?? He signed a rookie 4th round contract and was about to make a ton of money if he:
A) signed the deal he was offered in the preseason
B) would have not gotten hurt and continued to play wellLeon and his agent gambled and right now they lost.
If every team gave mid round gems new contracts when the team has all of the leverage …..there would be alot of dumb and fired GM’s out there.
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Like I said Jesus……fair or not the teams concerned were answered even though it was a freak accidently ijury
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NJets says:
I gotta admit Tanny did a fabulous job withstanding fan pressure and not caving here. Clearly Leon is not MJD status and should not be paid anything near that. He is our most dynamic player, thats for sure, but there is no way the Jets should of continued raising the contract (it was probably too high to begin with for a change of pace back and a punt specialist).
I love Leon and he is a true Jet, but Keels can only say and do so much, at the end of the day Leon let it get to his head a little and didn’t accept a huge offer for a change of pace back. Its awful for him and his family, but at the same time how do you throw away millions of guaranteed dollars when you keep preaching about your family’s well being. Thats really the core problem here… he said no to guaranteed money in a sport where your professional life expectancy is like 3 years. Its a crappy situation all around, but Tanny did what was best for the organization and for the well being of the team. Leon was doing what was best for him and his family. He chose to gamble and lost millions of guaranteed dollars.
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Bent says: I disagree that this proves he can’t carry the load. Maybe he can’t but this doesn’t convince me. It was a freak accident and most guys would see their legs snap in the same situation. Am I wrong here?
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AKA, I was talking more about the big picture of football. This game is so much harder on the bodies & these guys deserve higher compensation than other athletes. LW is worth a lot more than $500k in any sport. He obviously screwed up for not accepting the Jets offer. I just think it sucks for him.
Dont see how the team’s concerns were answered. This had nothing to do with durability.
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Jeff says:
Leon didn’t sign the contract with the Jet’s before the season began because he knew he could have made millions more as a free agent. The Jets purposely tried to low ball him knowing that if he didn’t sign they could stick a first and third round tender on him and get away with paying him $3 million next year. Its the smart business move by the Jets but I still have no respect for MT as a person. If this hadn’t been the last year of the agreement the Jets front office would have been bending over backwards to offer Leon a contract that would have kept him a Jet for the rest of his career.
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This was a much worse than Jenkins. I would have been shocked if Jenks had lasted 16 games this year. Just have that feeling about him-whether it’s durability or just tough for a guy that size to go 16+ games. The guys over 350 need a bi week every 4th week I think.
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Joe S. says:
Jets will keep their last offer to Leon on the table. They will take care of him.
Joe S.
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T says:
Leon took out an insurance policy with Lloyds of London to cover him if he got injured, good move Leon! her’es the link
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Bent –
I agree — this wasn’t a durability issue as much as a freak thing. Anyone’s leg would’ve snapped if a 300+ pound man dropped on it at that angle.
As for Leon vs. Jenks — both those injuries are devastating to this team, and are both almost impossible for one person to replace their skill sets. Jenks for a rare combination of size and agility, Leon for his speed and his elusiveness.
I mean, Pouha or Ropati might be as big as Jenks, but neither are anywhere as agile, while Clowney or even Woodhead are probably as fast as Leon, but neither have that *extra* that makes you jump up every time they get the ball into open space.
As SD99 mentioned, let’s hope we see some of Simmons’ “Ewing Theory” where the rest of the team steps up and plays better in the absence of two of the best players.
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greg sec 130 says:
I kind of agree that Leon’s was worse for me, partly because of the gross nature of it — Jenkins walked off knowing what happened, LW may not even remember being carted off. He looked in a bit of shock, and then went through hours of travel and surgery. I woke up still thinking about it (I had a similar injury to my ankle as T.O.) and it still is making me sick to my stomach.
Also, it seems we may lose him forever, whereas this injury to Jenkins may actually make him better and stronger in 2010.
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By that I mean he works his butt off like he did after his first ACL (cam back as a Pro Bowler), and rests his other injuries.
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starz31 says:
Bassett or Bent,
I’m going to assume that Leon Washington may be aware of TheJetsBlog and if so or even if not, is there any interest in perhaps creating some form of, for lack of a better term, a “Get Well” message or email or card, something, from TheJetsBlog community. You can post here in some manner and people could leave their remarks and best wishes and leave their Tag or name, and then, through your contacts, it can find its way to Leon Washington? I think it’d be a great show of support, I’m sure he’s receiving plenty now, but support from Jets fans and organized Jets fans at that. This obviously doesn’t happen with every injury, but I think its obvious that the combination of the severity of the injury, Leon’s importance to the team, and Leon’s popularity among fans, that this injury has a very large impact among us. I just think this is a great forum to assemble an organized message that could reach the player successfully. Just a thought.
Evan
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Joe B. says:
I just heard something on Monday Night Countdown about Leon’s insurance not covering his surgery/rehab because it wasn’t a season-ending injury? What the hell? Number one, the Jets put him on IR, which means it is a season-ending injury. Number two, WHAT THE HELL? Leon not only doesn’t get the contract he wanted, but he has to pay for his own surgery? As if I didn’t feel bad enough for the guy.
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dakar says:
leon will be here next year and he will be fine…the jets org. isnt the type of org. that turns its back on its own…remember j.henderson…what they did for him after his motorcycle accident…i know those are 2 different situations…but still…and some1 mentioned that leon couldn’t take the pounding…thats not true at all…taking a pounding and having some 300 lb linemen roll-up on ur leg is totally different…anyway,i hope leon comes back in full health and speed…just my thoughts…
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L7WIENIE says:
I was at work all day and our firewall does not allow for us to add comments…thus i have been waiting to say this all day.
I love LEON and if medically possible would give him BOTH my tibia and fibula….he is the heart and soul of our team and has been for a long time..I am confident in our ground attack and wish Leon a speedy and full recovery!
Lets go jets…I will be the a -hole dressed as a clown on Sunday at the stadium with a huge get well card for all fans to sign…come on over !!!
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Evan …i have already purchased HUGE get well cards and will be sending them into Westoff after the game on Sunday…seriously do the same!!!!!
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Bent says:
Starz – Bassett interviewed Leon so he knows us and we have his ear. I actually had the same idea. We’ll maybe do something official in due course. I was thinking we could set up a thread and people could leave comments with their well wishes, then we’ll send it to him.
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bozzie says:
Any idea who takes Leon’s roster spot?
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Bittinho says:
I just want to give Leon a shout and wish him the best for a speedy recovery. I was fortunate enough to meet Leon in summer 2007 for about 5 minutes at an event, the only time I ever met a player and he was as nice, cool and friendly as any guy could be. Leon we’ll miss you on the field this year but know you’ll be back next year.
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jimsopen says:
i think i speak for all of us…..we love you leon…get better soon pal!
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starz
great idea im sure he’d def appreciate itbent
that would be great if you can pull that off -
I agree with Starz. Great idea.
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Jim C says:
I got the same exact injury and treatment 2 weeks ago playing rugby. Good luck to Leon, he’ll be back fine for next year.
NOOOOO!!!!
Please have the chosen one (Sanchise) Touch his leg and heal it so he can return for next weeks game!!!