Lions listed Stafford as questionable, teammates say they knew he was out

[Roary]

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The Lions may be in hot water with the NFL over the way they reported on quarterback Matthew Stafford‘s back injury.

Stafford missed Sunday’s game against the Bears despite saying he would be “good to go,” and the Lions listed him as questionable on their injury report. That questionable designation didn’t change even though multiple teammates told reporters after the game that they learned on Saturday that Stafford couldn’t go.

If the Lions knew on Saturday that Stafford was out, they were supposed to update their injury report to indicate that. They didn’t.

However, Lions coach Matt Patricia said after the game that the decision to sideline Stafford wasn’t made until Sunday, when the team’s medical staff said it would be unsafe for Stafford to play.

The NFL fined the Steelers and coach Mike Tomlin this season over failing to properly report Ben Roethlisberger‘s injury. The league may look into the Lions and Patricia as well.