Patriots Wright: 'Right Decision' To Go On IR
FOXBORO (CBS) - In a very sad moment in the New England Patriots locker room, Mike Wright spoke to reporters on Friday about being put on injured reserved.
Wright is done for the season and concussions once again are a problem for the defensive lineman. He has sustained more than his share in the past two seasons and this may end his career.
"Worrying about the future right now is not going to help me get better," Wright said. "I think I'll make that decision with the doctors and coaches after the season. Right now, my focus is just getting everything better and back to normal."
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Wright returned to practice last Thursday and Friday and said he felt fine when on the field. But he said he still has a tough time watching television, so the doctors and trainers decided it was time to shut him down.
"I felt like I was going to be ready," he said, adding that he plans to remain around the team. "[But] based off my concussion history and coaches and doctors and trainers looking out for me and my best interests and my health, it was just the right decision to do what we did. I did not want to go on IR. It's the last thing I wanted to do. I was really looking forward to being part of this team this year. There are a lot of great players in there that I wanted to continue to play with, but that's not in the cards."
"I just feel bad about it," head coach Bill Belichick said on Friday. "I think Mike did everything he possibly could do. I think everybody did all they could do. Just felt like this is the right decision for this time. We'll just take it from here. I respect Mike and his work ethic and his commitment for the team. He always tried to do the best thing for the team."
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Wright has spent all seven of his NFL seasons with the Patriots. He registered 5.5 sacks in 2010, the highest total of his career, in just 10 games played.
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