Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Drew Brees has some bad advice for injured Texas QB Quinn Ewers

By Adam Gretz | Last updated 9/10/22

There are two important things to know about Drew Brees.

The first is that he is one of the greatest and most productive quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL.

The second is that despite his success on the football field he is not a doctor and should not be turned to for medical advice.

This is important to keep in mind because Brees had some questionable (at best) social media advice for injured Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers on Saturday.

Brees wrote on his Instagram account, while showing a replay of the play that knocked him out of the Longhorns' game against No. 1 ranked Alabama: "If it’s an AC joint separation…locker room, shoot it up, put on a harness, and shot gun snaps only the rest of the game. You got this young buck!"

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There will no doubt be a healthy dose of football fans (especially old school football fans) that subscribe to this advice. But it is a problem.
For starters, we have no idea what Ewers' injury actually is or why he is out. The only update from Texas was that he was getting X-rays and is out for the remainder of the game. Brees is guessing as to what it is.
Beyond that, somebody as notable as Brees saying that carries a ton of weight among football fans. Him putting out the mindset that it would be no big deal for Ewers to just "shoot it up" and go back in the game could lead to Ewers being criticized for not doing that, or even having his toughness questioned.

Finally, there is just something cringe-worthy about a retired NFL player trying to tell a 19-year-old college freshman, who has entire playing career ahead of him, to put himself at risk in the second game of his college career (or any game, for that matter).

Social media has given rise to doctors and athletic trainers trying to diagnose injuries as they happen, even before teams can fully evaluate players. Not all of them are good at it. And it is bad enough when they try to do it. It is even worse when retired quarterbacks with no medial background try to do it.

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