QUESTION: The Michael Porter Jr. injury situation still sounds fishy. He said he had back issues stemming from high school. Did he not bother to get it checked out before it got significantly worse (i.e., the first game of the season)?
BENFRED: His explanation says the injury first occurred years ago, and that it was re-aggravated at time since, with one of those re-aggravations coming before that first game at Mizzou.
What I don't understand, and what I will probably never understand, is why after a non-surgical treatment plan was recommended, the family opted for surgery instead. Now, that's their choice. And I don't have access to medical records or anything like that. But I know Mizzou has top-notch doctors that work for the players and what is best for them, not for the school. Back surgery is risky. Especially for a teenager. And there is a good amount of information that suggests aggressive physical therapy works as well as surgery for this kind of injury, in the end.
That's what has never really added up to me. It's also a bad look for the family that the injury was not relayed to the coach until it blew up in the team's face. Especially because the dad is a member of the coaching staff.
