© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

LA Chargers Team Doctor Reportedly Punctured Quarterback's Lung By Mistake

Los Angeles Chargers Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, shown here during a game earlier this month in Ohio, is reportedly recovering from a punctured lung.
Bobby Ellis
/
Getty Images
Los Angeles Chargers Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, shown here during a game earlier this month in Ohio, is reportedly recovering from a punctured lung.

The NFL Players Association is investigating after a Los Angeles Chargers team doctor reportedly punctured quarterback Tyrod Taylor's lung by mistake on Sunday.

Head coach Anthony Lynn said the incident happened while the unnamed doctor was administering a painkiller for cracked ribs, according to ESPN.

In response to the ESPN report, George Atallah of NFL Players Association said in a tweet: "Our medical and legal team have been in touch with Tyrod and his agent since Sunday collecting facts."

"An investigation has been initiated," Atallah concluded. The NFL Players Association declined to comment further.

"I'm not angry at all. It happens," Lynn, the coach, said during a Wednesday press conference. He also called the physician a "good doctor" and said he knew the incident "was unintentional."

Prior to kick-off against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Taylor began to experience trouble breathing. He was later transported to a hospital for treatment, according to a Chargers' update on his condition. He's since been discharged.

Rookie Justin Herbert was thrown in at the last minute as a replacement starter for Taylor on Sunday, but Lynn said Taylor will return as starter when he's "100 percent." Doctors have advised the quarterback to stop playing "indefinitely" while he recovers, according to ESPN.

Herbert is expected to start for a second game during the upcoming game against Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Lynn declined to share details about the incident during Wednesday's press conference, simply saying "there was a complication with the shot."

"No one is perfect. It happens," he said. "The doctor, I know, is a good man. It was unfortunate."

Reese Oxner is an intern on NPR's News Desk.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Related Content