Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown had his flu game against the Buffalo Bills and told none of his teammates or coaches.
The legend of Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown’s toughness continues.
Last year alone, St. Brown played through a foot injury, an oblique injury, and a gruesome bout with hand, foot, and mouth disease.
On Sunday, St. Brown played through flu-like symptoms he contracted on Saturday afternoon. I won’t get into the messy details, but you probably already know them.
“I had no appetite. I barely ate Saturday, On Sunday, I didn’t eat. I had like two, three bananas,” St Brown admitted on his podcast. “I had an IV, so obviously I had enough liquid and stuff, but, bro, after like three plays, I would be like dead. I was so tired. And we were doing two-minute (drill) like all game.”
Despite the illness, St. Brown had one of the best games of his NFL career. He set personal highs in receptions (14) and yards (193), although he did have a critical fumble as well. Perhaps most impressively, St. Brown managed to keep his illness a secret from everyone other than the team trainers.
“I had no idea,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “Nobody even told me, which is just like Saint, he’s not going to say anything until it’s done. The kid is—that’s just what he is, that’s the way he’s wired. So, it says a lot and you turn on the tape and you don’t notice anything different because he’s one of those that can feel like crap and it’s not going to affect the way that he approaches the game and the amount of effort that he gives.”
Jared Goff didn’t know either, but the perceptive Lions quarterback did notice something was off with St. Brown.
“I could tell, though,” Goff said. “Throughout the game, he wasn’t quite himself, just, like, verbally. Usually, he’s a lot more talkative and whatnot. I’m like, ‘You alright?’ and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I’m good.’ He was good, obviously. He had a great, big day, but I had no idea.”
Even his position coach, Antwaan Randle El, had no idea St. Brown was going through it, but he, too, certainly noticed the fatigue. Still, he came away impressed with how the Lions’ fourth-year receiver handled himself.
“It just speaks to who he is and how he goes about preparation and getting ready for the game, and not really trying to put what he’s got going on (on) anybody else,” Randle El said.
And in true St. Brown fashion, there was one more miraculous thing about his illness over the weekend: it was the first time he’s ever thrown up—a fact he reiterated on Wednesday.
“I promise you, first time,” St. Brown said.
