Why Thomas Fidone’s injury situation was even more frustrating than it seemed

Thomas Fidone paused for a moment.

It’s been a long road for the former four-star tight end out of Council Bluffs.

He came to Nebraska in 2021, heralded as the highest-rated prospect to sign with the Huskers in over a decade. But he’s only played three snaps in a Nebraska jersey because the early portion of his career has been derailed by two offseason knee injuries.

“There were times where I was…” Fidone trailed off.

Everyone’s ears perked up. Where’s he going with this? 

Three seconds after starting his sentence, Fidone chose blunt honesty — calling out the previous coaching staff.

“They wanted me to play and I was getting kind of yelled at on the sideline for not being able to play,” Fidone said. “I couldn’t. I wasn’t medically released, which is probably the best decision in the long run. But if they had told me to suit up and play, I would have been out there.”

Excuse me? This makes my blood boil. What the actual heck? (I’d like to use a different word, but ya know, use your imagination.)

Let me make this crystal clear: I’m not faulting Fidone here. Not at all. He’s a young man caught in a tough position. He hasn’t played a meaningful role in a football game since he was in high school during the pandemic.

I know he wants to play. You know he wants to play. We all know he wants to play. That’s not some closely-guarded secret. But when you’re not cleared to play, you’re not cleared to play. 

Fidone didn’t explicitly reveal which coaches were yelling at him and added, “I don’t want to say. I don’t know what they’re doing now.

“There were times where, there were some coaches that were like, ‘Why isn’t he suiting up? Why isn’t he playing?’ Because, I wouldn’t go with the ones or anything, I’d be with the threes, fours against the scout team ones — getting them ready, really.

“It was really trying to benefit them and me at the same time, because I wasn’t going to play. So I just went and did things with the threes and fours and fives against the ones. And I’d be making pretty good plays, doing things that no one else was doing on the threes, fours, fives and I’d be getting in trouble because I’m not playing.”

Why on God’s green earth are people yelling at someone who has minimal control over the situation? Yes, Fidone has control over how he rehabs, but it’s not like he can sign off for himself. 

I understand how frustrating it is. He’s a special talent who has the opportunity to be a game-changer. And when he’s not out there, that means one of your better players is on the sidelines. But, good grief, let’s not be cavemen about this. The young man has had two knee surgeries in recent years, one in April 2021 and the second in March of 2022.

Yes, Fidone could practice at some point last season. That’s a great sign for his progress for this spring and hopefully the fall. But we all know that practice speed and game speed are two different animals. (I mean, remember when Nebraska didn’t tackle at practice? Good times.)

I’d imagine that the medical staff wanted Fidone to practice in a limited capacity to see how he’d do. You see the same thing at the NFL level when guys are coming off injuries. They have practice windows, but just because they participate in some capacity, nowhere does that mean they’re ready for game action.

Fidone didn’t say when these comments were made, but he was ruled out for the season in early-to-mid October, as then-interim head coach Mickey Joseph spoke on Fidone’s health on Oct. 13.

“I don’t think he’s coming back this year,” Joseph said then. “I don’t want to take a chance with him. But he’s really moving well right now. He’s in a good spot right now but he understands that we’re not going to put him out there, really with him, he’s going to say he’s ready, but we’ve got to be smart with Fidone.”

Yes. Being smart with Fidone. That’s the key. An unnamed coach/coaches yelling at the kid because the “head surgeon” didn’t clear him to play? That’s not being smart with Fidone.

As the page turns to a new staff, being “smart” is also a word that comes to mind for this specific instance.

“You see the athleticism, the explosiveness – doesn’t look like a guy who’s ever been injured. Just looks healthy,” coach Matt Rhule said Monday of Fidone.

“… He won’t like it, but obviously it takes time after an ACL. ACLs will happen. I always feel like my job is to try to prevent repeat ACLs, which he’s had. We’ll probably be a little bit smart with him in spring ball.”

Moving forward, here’s hoping the yelling will be directed at the appropriate person.