JET NOTES
While casually recounting his comeback from the strained right leg that nearly kept him out of Monday night’s game, Wayne Chrebet yesterday revealed that he spent time in the trainer’s room last Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
This raised a significant question about the Jets’ integrity since they announced that Chrebet’s injury occurred in Saturday’s practice. And even then, his injury wasn’t announced until late in the day Saturday.
“It happened on Friday,” Chrebet said of the injury. “I was in (the trainer’s room) on Friday from one to 6:30, then spent about six hours on Saturday and I was in there too on Sunday. All told, I think it was about 15 hours (in the trainer’s room).
“I told them (the coaches) the day (the injury occurred) that I was going to be OK. I told (Al Groh) I wasn’t going to miss this game for anything.”
Chrebet went on to have a heroic game, catching two fourth-quarter TDs, including the game winner. As for the Jets, it appears they deliberately withheld injury information, which is an NFL violation. Chrebet should have been on the injury report by the end of the day Friday or at least Saturday.
Speaking of injuries, which Groh detests doing, the Jets’ coach insisted yesterday that both Chrebet and Curtis Martin are “fine,” despite the fact that both players are still taking treatment for their injuries.
The Jets, by the way, list no one on the injury report this week.
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The Keyshawn Johnson buildup for next week’s Jet game has already begun. Jet safety Chris Hayes was walking around with an autographed No. 19 green Keyshawn jersey.
“He called me last night,” Hayes said. “He’s already talking trash.”
Meanwhile, a press release from the Buccaneers was circulated yesterday announcing three separate press conferences with Johnson next week, including one nationally, and added space in the Tampa Bay press room was being made available.
“That’s going to be a funny week,” Jet CB Aaron Glenn said, looking forward to Keyshawn week. “That’s my man. I talk to him all the time. I’m looking forward to it.”
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Jet LB Marvin Jones, the team’s leading tackler, left the locker room yesterday dressed to the nines as he was being whisked to the airport to head to Tallahassee, Fla. to be inducted into the Florida State Hall of Fame today.