Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari had a stellar Week One against the Chicago Bears. Not only did he have some fun with Bears fans jeering him in the stands, but he also was dominant at the line of scrimmage, not allowing a single pressure. He look like the Bakhtiari of old.
Unfortunately, serious knee injuries such as the one he suffered at the end of 2020 do not ever really heal completely. Due to some swelling in his knee, Bakhtiari was unable to play in the Packers’ Week Two loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Related: Green Bay Packers Fans Brutally Turn on David Bakhtiari Regarding Week Two Injury Status
To be clear, protesting the turf field in Atlanta was not the reason he did not play. His knee would not allow him to play. For the rest of the season, Bakhtiari will be considered day-to-day and week-to-week in terms of what he is able to do and when he is able to play.
Green Bay Packers Star David Bakhtiari Has Not Seriously Considered Retirement
According to Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated:
Bakhtiari said he hasn’t seriously considered retirement. He’s also not a fan of knee braces – they’re great for blunt trauma but bad for hamstring circulation and fatiguing the lower leg.
It is, therefore, unlikely that fans see Bakhtiari playing in a knee brace. If he did, the team may have yet another hamstring injury to deal with.
On retirement, though, Bakhtiari did state that there was one thing he is waiting to do until he retires: reveal the full extent of the injury:
“I mean, I don’t know. Maybe when I’m retired, I’ll give you guys the full details, but there’s only so much I feel I can give without giving up a competitive advantage.”
So if fans feel like they are not getting the full story from Bakhtiari and the team, that is because they are not. There are some things that neither party wants to reveal because they do not want their opponents to have that information.
And of course, it is Bakhtiari’s health. He does not have to reveal any of his medical records or history if he does not want to, and any party demanding to know it is seeking to violate his HIPAA rights.
Will David Bakhtiari Play on Turf Fields This Season?
Bakhtiari told the media that, if his knee is feeling good, he will play in any and all games remaining on the Packers schedule, even the ones with turf.
Those games will be played against the Detroit Lions (Week 12), New York Giants (Week 14), Carolina Panthers (Week 16), and Minnesota Vikings (Week 17).
Again, Bakhtiari is not missing any games because of the surface of the field. Any games he misses are because of the lingering knee injury he suffered.
David Bakhtiari Has High Praise for General Manager Brian Gutekunst
If anyone thought that there may be some hard feelings between Bakhtiari towards Brian Gutekunst in regards to how things went down between the organization and Aaron Rodgers, those thoughts can be laid to rest and buried. Bakhtiari was highly complimentary of Gutekunst and his approach to the nagging injury:
“I appreciate Gutey. We’ve had plenty of talks. He’s been amazing with me and being even able to vent to him about it.”
While fans are frustrated, there is no way they are more frustrated that Bakhtiari himself. Like any great player, he take a great deal of pride in his craft. Not being able to do it is hard on him. Fans tune in on game days, but Bakhtiari lives this every day.
If he can play, he will play. And hopefully the team’s medical staff can help him maximize the number of games he is able play.
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