Danny Amendola Could Have Died From His Injury, Experts Say

Danny Amendola may miss the majority of the NFL season after suffering a shoulder injury, but the St. Louis Rams wide receiver could have had it a lot worse. Experts say the rare kind of shoulder separation he suffered in a game last week could have actualy killed him.

As the Yahoo! Sports blog Shutdown Corner reported, the injury Danny Amendola suffered while hauling in a 22-yard was almost devastating. Though the team initially feared he broke his collarbone, Amendola had actually dislocated his clavicle, which popped inward and could have threatened his trachea and aorta.

The fast work of the Rams’ medical staff was able to save Danny Amendola before the situation could grow more serious. They put him to sleep before popping the clavicle back in place so it could not dislodge again.

As Fox Sports‘ Jay Glazer reported, the Rams looked around the league for another case of a player with the same injury, but could not find one. Because there is no precedent for his recovery, Danny Amendola will be away from the team indefinitely. Shutdown Corner reported that it could be four to eight weeks before he can play again.

“Obviously, losing Danny is big,” quarterback Sam Bradford told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Everyone knows that he’s a big part of our offense. A lot of what we do runs through him.”

The loss of Danny Amendola will be a blow to the surprising Rams, who sit at 3-2. As Sports Illustrated noted, he is a pivotal piece to the team’s offense and leader of a thin receiving corps. This season Amendola has 32 catches for 395 yards.