Saints running back Darren Sproles reportedly will miss up to 4-6 weeks with a broken hand. Saints interim coach Joe Vitt wasn’t inclined on Saturday to say much about Sproles’ status.
Or anything else relating to Sproles.
Asked which bone Sproles broke, Vitt told reporters, “I am not a doctor. He is not playing, he hurt his hand.”
Asked whether it happened in the game against the Broncos, Vitt said, “Yes. This is like the Warren commission.”
Asked if Sproles could miss only one game, Vitt said, “I am not a doctor. He is not playing in this game and this is the only game we’re playing this week.”
Asked if Sproles could miss only one game, Vitt once again reminded reporters of his educational credentials. “I am going to tell you, I am not a doctor,” Vitt said. “He is out this week, he’s got a bad hand. The only game we can play this week is Monday night and he is not playing.”
Yes, Vitt was evasive. But he was fully within his rights under the injury-reporting rules. Teams are required to say nothing about the duration of an injury; teams are required only to identify each week, on three occasions, whether and to what extent an injured player practiced. Then, each week, the team must apply one of the various labels -- out, doubtful, questionable, or probable.
So if Sproles is going to miss the Saints’ Week 10 game, we’ll find out in the days preceding the game. And so on.