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Marcus Mariota says he has sprained AC joint in right shoulder
Marcus Mariota is still deciding if he'll throw at the NFL combine.
The decision is clouded because Mariota said Saturday that he has a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder.
He landed on his shoulder hard when he was tackled by Ohio State's Joey Bosa after throwing a pass in the second half of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. He sat out a play after the hit – Mariota was slow to get up – but came back in and finished the game.
From the Honolulu Star-Advertiser:
"Right now we're still making that decision, whether to throw at the Combine. I had to kinda rest about a week-and-a-half," Mariota said, speaking at a press conference Saturday in Laie, where he was being honored as the first Polynesian College Football Player of the Year. "I sprained the AC joint (in his right, throwing, shoulder). But now, I'm able to throw. Feels good."
It's not ucommon for top quarterbacks to pass on throwing at the combine in favor of more controlled individual workouts. No matter if Mariota's workout is at the combine or not, it'll be a test to show he can make all the throws required of an NFL quarterback. Mariota is expected to be one of the first quarterbacks off the board in the 2015 NFL draft along with Florida State's Jameis Winston.
Mariota had been invited to the Senior Bowl, played Saturday in Mobile, Ala., but he declined the invitation. The shoulder injury likely helps explain that decision. The combine begins on Feb. 17.
"I had an opportunity to go to the Senior Bowl," Mariota said. "But as a family we decided it was best to come here and be a part of this.
"Being able to meet all these men is pretty remarkable. They paved the way for me and Polynesian athletes everywhere. For us, it's really just saying, 'Thank you.'"
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
