A week after Browns running back Peyton Hillis didn’t play with a case of strep throat, a teammate played with a slightly more serious medical condition.
Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that center Alex Mack played against the Titans with appendicitis. Mack had an appendectomy on Monday.
Mack thought he simply had the flu. Despite the possibility that the symptoms would be exacerbated by an involuntary hernia examination performed by a certain member of the Tennessee defense, Mack played Sunday and showed up for work Monday, and doctors assessed him and realized he needed immediate surgery.
“He’s tough as nails because he was feeling a little queasy during the game, too,” right tackle Tony Pashos said, per Cabot. “I was over there last night watching Sunday night football with him and he was talking about some issues then, too, and I was like ‘maybe it’s just something you ate.’”
Mack’s handling of his business in this manner surely will reinforce the belief (as reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN on Sunday) held by some in the locker room that Hillis’ failure to play was influenced by his contract situation.