Tee Higgins FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
Cincinnati Bengals’ player Tee Higgins is confused by the discourse over his hamstring injury.
“I just don’t understand why fans think I’m faking an injury, when for me to get an extension for a contract, the deadline is over,” the wide receiver, 25, said to ESPN on Thursday, September 12. “I just don’t understand why they think I’m faking an injury. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
Higgins was referring to the July deadline for teams and players to negotiate long-term deals. The football player signed a one-year contract with the Bengals for the current season, and he expressed his interest in a contract extension by signing the team’s franchise tag.
Months later, however, Higgins hurt his hamstring. When the injury occurred earlier this month, he initially thought it was minor and told reporters at practice he felt “amazing” and “ready to go” for the season.
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“I prepare myself to go out here and dominate, start of Week 1,” Higgins explained on Thursday. “Unfortunately, four days before the game, I have a hamstring tweak that I didn’t think was as bad, so I made the comments I did after [practice].”
The issue ended up being more serious than Higgins expected.
“I didn’t think it was bad until, obviously, I got it checked on the next day,” he reflected. “It was worse than what I thought.”
Tee Higgins Perry Knotts/Getty Images
Higgins ultimately sat out of the Bengals home opener against the New England Patriots on September 8. The Patriots defeated the Bengals 16-10.
The Bengals are gearing up to take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, September 15. As of right now, Higgins is being evaluated day-to-day — and there’s a chance he will sit out for the second time this season.
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While Higgins has spent a lot of time on the sidelines so far, he’s focused on coming back to full strength and giving the team his best effort.
“I want to go out there and give my teammates a 100 percent of Tee Higgins, you know what I’m saying?” Higgins said. “I don’t want to give them 50 percent and half-ass it just to be a presence on the field.”
This isn’t the first time Higgins has experienced difficulties with his hamstring. Last season, he missed three games due to a similar injury. Ahead of the Bengals final game against the Cleveland Browns, Higgins was forced to sit out after hurting both hamstrings.