Mason Rudolph Reportedly Played With a Cracked Rib Last Season

Injuries happen in football all the time. Often, players play through them. But half a season with a cracked rib? That’s impressive.

That’s reportedly what happened to Mason Rudolph last season.

According to a report from Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman, Rudolph suffered an injury during the Texas game in the second quarter when he ran for a touchdown from the ten yard line.

Tyler Wiederhoeft pretty much summed up everyone’s thoughts when the hit occurred.

Rudolph went on to finish the game, though according to the article, not without struggle.

“It was so frustrating,” he said. “The rotation (of the torso in the throwing motion) would just kill me. I couldn't throw it that far. That whole game was a struggle.”

First, wow, I can’t wait to see what a healthy Rudolph can do this year. Seriously, he played with a broken rib. Can you imagine getting tackled with a broken rib? Extra padding or not, that HAS to hurt. I slam my finger in a drawer and go into shutdown mode for a week.

Second, that they kept this quiet all season is equally impressive.

“No one really knows that at all,” Rudolph said of the rib injury in an interview with The Oklahoman. “We kept that in house.”

Third, I don’t love guys playing injured, but I trust Gundy and the staff wouldn’t allow a player to continue playing if doing so risked permanent injury.

You can check out the full article here.