Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was putting on a show on Monday night against the Cleveland Browns, but then had to exit the game with what Jackson and the team referred to as cramps. Jackson didn't go down injured in an obvious way, so fans were confused regarding when he felt hurt and what caused these cramps.
Turns out, Jackson was just as confused about the cramps at the time, but said on Wednesday that they were "probably" linked to him having COVID-19. Jackson tested positive for coronavirus in late November.
"Probably," Jackson said when asked if the symptoms were COVID-related. "Probably because of the body heat and we're running in the cold. It was so cold out there. That probably had an effect on that as well. I can't call it."
He then gave specific details of his symptoms.
"I was real-life cramping, like my hand, my throwing arm cramping, forearm cramping, fingers getting stuck together," the defending MVP said. "I was going through it. I was ticked off."
Head coach John Harbaugh said the QB's cramps, which went down to Jackson's legs as well, "overtook" his body to the point where he could no longer play through them.
"Who knows. Is it that [COVID-19]? Is it the nutrition, the diet?" Harbaugh said. "It's quite a mystery. I think the doctors are trying to figure all that stuff out, too."
Defensive lineman Calais Campbell is also returning from testing positive for COVID-19 and spoke about how difficult it can be to feel like "yourself" again, calling the virus "brutal."
"I tried to make sure that the other guys that are coming back this week understood that it's going to be different. It's an adjustment. You're not going to be yourself. You're going to feel a little weaker, and you're not going to have the wind that you normally have," he said.
After receiving IV's, according to Jackson, and getting treatment from the trainers, the Ravens QB returned to the game and lead Baltimore to victory. The Ravens beat their divisional opponents 47-42 in what some are calling the game of the year.
