Two weeks ago, Ian Rapoport tweeted that Tre Mason was asked to return to Indianapolis on April 26 for another evaluation of a wrist injury that could require surgery:
Combine exams revealed #Auburn RB Tre Mason had a bone in his wrist that wasn’t healing properly. Needs surgery, knocks him out of OTAs, etc
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 25, 2014
Mason was quick to deny Rapoport’s claim with a tweet of his own, telling his followers that he "WILL NOT be having surgery to anything on my body!"
Rapoport stood by his report, replying, "Teams have been informed differently."
I speculated on our videocast last week that Mason’s injury was likely a fractured scaphoid, a small wrist bone behind the thumb that is notorious for healing poorly. I felt that there was likely some truth in Rapoport's story and Mason's denial and that, ultimately, Mason's draft position would tell us how concerned teams are with the injury.
Since our show, I have been able to confirm that Mason's injury is a fractured scaphoid bone. Further, the injury was shown to have not fully healed on imaging studies performed at the combine in February. A source tells me that at least one team, and likely many, believes the injury will need to be fixed surgically.
Mason told Alabama.com’s Joel Erickson yesterday that he originally suffered the injury, which he believed to be a sprained wrist, in late November against Alabama.
Mason added, “But most teams don’t care. They said it will heal on its own.”
An orthopedic surgeon who specializes in wrist and hand injuries told me he believes surgery will be necessary in time. Scaphoid fractures that are not diagnosed early and immobilized have the highest risk of poor healing and surgical fixation. Scaphoid fractures that have not shown evidence of healing bone within three months are also unlikely to fully heal without surgery.
Mason’s injury falls into both those categories.
Mason told Erickson that multiple teams told him he’d pass their physical. Gil Brandt offered the same analysis on Twitter a few days after Rapoport’s report. That could be accurate. Mason’s injury may be stable right now.
Unfortunately, because scans have shown the bone has not fully healed, Mason is at risk of re-breaking the bone if his wrist is jammed back forcefully. That’s a common occurrence for a running back. Mason will often need to put his hand down to break a fall or extend his arms into a blitzing linebacker in pass protection.
If a re-injury occurs, Mason will need surgery to fix the bone. There’s no guarantee healing will occur within 6-8 weeks; it may be as long as 3-4 months. Every team will quantify the risk differently, but expect some teams to have reservations about using a second round pick on a back who may be lost to the season if his wrist is jammed.
There is some long term risk for Mason, too. Scaphoid fractures don’t always heal after screw fixation. He’s also at risk – whether he has surgery or not – for arthritic changes that might affect the range of motion and strength in his wrist. That could impact how he carries the ball and how well he can withstand tacklers looking to force fumbles.
Should Mason fall out of the third round, this injury is undoubtedly why. It's also possible that the team that drafts Mason convinces him surgery is the right choice soon after the draft.
I'll have more on Tre Mason as his story develops. Follow on Twitter @JeneBramel for breaking injury news, commentary and analysis of this injury and others around the NFL.