AJ McCarron explains decision to skip Senior Bowl

Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron has explained the reasoning behind his decision to skip the Senior Bowl, which is taking place in his home town, report al.com.

McCarron said that he took advice from his doctors to rest after a season that included a toe injury, a sore shoulder and a hamstring problem.

"“It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the Senior Bowl in my hometown,” McCarron told the Alabama Media Group. “But my body was banged up during the year. I wanted to push through it and finish out the year for my teammates.“When it came time to decide, I asked the advice of our team doctors, who are some of the best in the country. They said I should stay out of the game and get my body back to 100 percent healthy.”"

The toe injury was particularly troublesome, and required surgery after the Sugar Bowl, the final game of McCarron’s college career.

"“When my toe got stepped on, the nail on my big toe cracked and the doctor had to cut off most of it,” he said. “It never healed all season and kept getting infected. We thought the nail would grow back together, but a new nail grew under it. So after the Sugar Bowl I had a procedure to cut the nail out again. I was in a boot for a week after that.”"

McCarron has been rehabilitating his toe and shoulder – which did not require surgery –  since the end of the season, and was cleared to begin full workouts on Tuesday. He will still have the chance to impress scouts at the Alabama pro day, and the combine should he elect to throw.