Joe Burrow downplays wrist injury concerns caused by viral video

The CBS broadcast caught Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow picking up a water bottle awkwardly, which caused an uproar on social media.

Videos of Burrow unconventionally lifting his drink went viral. Naturally, the clip has spurred concerns regarding whether he's fully recovered from the wrist injury that limited him to 10 games in 2023. 

However, Burrow did his best to alleviate the uneasiness Bengals fans and fantasy football managers currently feel when he addressed the media on Wednesday.

Joe Burrow downplays wrist injury concerns caused by viral water bottle video

"What'd I do?" Burrow asked when questioned about the water bottle incident. After a reporter debriefed him on the matter, he replied: "Oh, I picked it up weird?"

The gaze on Burrow's face when hearing why everyone is so worried that he's not operating at full strength says it all. He couldn't help but nod and move his mouth/lips, looking dumbfounded that this was actually a talking point. 

Those taking part in the press conference began laughing. Burrow even joined in on the fun, chuckling before saying: "I don't know, I drank water."

Burrow's remarks and calm demeanor, when confronted with the mentioned inquiry, suggest the footage of him with his water isn't worth making a fuss about. The whole thing presumably got blown out of proportion, though that doesn't explain why cameras captured him flexing his wrist repeatedly in Week 1. Nonetheless, the Cincy signal-caller also discussed that during the presser.

"Yeah, I'm doing that all the time," Burrow said. "When you're coming back from injury, you're always trying to keep the joint loose. That's part of ligament injuries — if you don't move it, you're going to lose it ... that's going to continue to happen."

Kudos to Burrow for handling the situation composedly and candidly. His transparent responses to the distressing topic paint a clearer, more optimistic picture of what he's dealing with and that it's standard protocol. Rather than dodging the conversation, which he could've done, he spoke earnestly.

Last November, Burrow successfully underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments in his throwing wrist. The Bengals' 2024 opener against the New England Patriots marked his first taste of regular-season action since, so he's likely shaking off some rust. With that in mind, the Cincinnati faithful should exercise patience and not accentuate the circumstances by panicking.