Green Bay Packers rookie tight end Luke Musgrave was in the midst of a promising rookie season before he suffered a lacerated kidney in a week 11 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Despite the intense internal injury, Musgrave finished the game. Musgrave hasn’t played in a game since then, but in an NBC article he claims that’s football.
“I knew something was probably wrong, but I mean, that’s kind of football,” Musgrave said. “You play through pain and then it usually hurts a little more after the game.”
Although Musgrave cites playing through pain as a part of football, pain wasn’t much of a factor for the ex-Oregon State Beaver. Musgrave is just now finding his way back to the practice field after the gruesome injury. Despite the injury’s unseemly nature, Musgrave plans to return before the end of the season to help the Packers potentially make a late playoff push.
“When I got home,” Musgrave said. “Just blood in the urine.”
While Musgrave isn’t actually fully participating in practice, he is happy to be back out on the field with his teammates. In an article directly from the Packers’ website, Musgrave details his path back to the playing field.
“It’s kind of hard to tell,” Musgrave said regarding his potential timeline. “I’m just going to follow their track, talk to the doctors, and it’s probably going to be more down the road is when we figure it out. But yeah, it’ll be good.”
Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave was in the midst of a promising rookie season
Before going down in a win against the Chargers, Musgrave was proving to be a solid safety valve for first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love. While Love is not technically a rookie, it is his first year as a full-time starter and a dependable tight end can be extremely valuable for an inexperienced QB.
Musgrave had just one game this season in which he did not have multiple receptions. The second-round pick has 341 yards and a touchdown on 33 receptions this year.
Fellow rookie tight end Tucker Kraft took a bigger role in the Packers’ offense following Musgrave’s injury. He’s got two touchdowns and over 200 yards receiving as the number one tight end for the Packers. Musgrave looks forward to rejoining the offense with a new fold.
Tight end Luke Musgrave follows a long lineage of tough Green Bay Packers
Musgrave’s ability to finish out a game with an internal organ injury exemplifies the toughness of the Green Bay Packers.
The epitome of toughness at the quarterback position is Green Bay Packer legend and Hall-of-Famer Brett Favre.
#Packers O-line coach James Campen on Brett Favre: He was really a linebacker playing QB…He displayed toughness from the very first day.
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) August 10, 2016
Arm strength: Josh Allen
Accuracy: Aaron Rodgers
Leadership: Tom Brady
Size: Daunte Culpepper
Speed: Michael Vick
Toughness: Brett Favre https://t.co/FaXsESt8vE— Coach Lamers (@AndrewLamers) February 18, 2021
Favre played with a cracked vertebrae, a broken thumb and a separated shoulder among various other injuries that would have the toughest of players sitting out.
Packers toughness goes all the way back to legendary head coach Vince Lombardi. Lombardi built one of the most iconic and legendary NFL teams of all time with toughness at the forefront. In an article from Willpowered, a Packers player outlines the way Lombardi ran the team.
“I’ve done 2 boot camps in the marines. And those didn’t even come close to how hard Lombardi’s practices were. We couldn’t believe it, we just thought this guy was crazy.” Said Gary Knafelc, one of the star Green Bay players.
The rookie tight end Luke Musgrave is well on his way to carrying on the tradition of toughness for which the Green Bay Packers are known.
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