Gordon Hayward of the Charlotte Hornets has been ruled out with a shoulder injury. Hayward's wife, Robyn, called out the Hornets for compromising players' health. The 32-year-old forward has been plagued by injuries over the years.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Hayward was diagnosed with a fractured left shoulder. The timeline of his recovery is on a week-to-week basis, as per his agent Mark Bartelstein. The Butler product missed eight straight games earlier this month due to a bruised shoulder.
Hayward returned on November 18 and played three games before his current diagnosis. He's set to undergo further tests, which means he's set to miss a significant number of games for the Hornets.
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Gordon Hayward's wife, Robyn, called out the Charlotte Hornets for mishandling his husband's injury. She posted a story on her Instagram account telling their side regarding the injury. Hayward was dealing with the injury against the Philadelphia 76ers but played through it.
"He actually has a fractured scapula," Robyn wrote. "That they had him play with last game. … That's why he couldn't move his arm up in the last game. Everyone who knows Gordon knows he has one goal and that’s to win and play the right way; he's the most truthful player/person you'd find. If he's not gonna play it's for something more than a bruise."
Robyn Hayward added that the Hornets are not protecting their players. She noted that the mother of a young Hornets player also has a problem with how the team handles injuries.
"Just to clarify - since the team doesn't say," Robyn wrote. "It's a fracture in the shoulder. Which is a broken bone. I've over them not protecting players. Just was talking with a young player's mom, and she was saying the same thing."
To read Adrian Wojnarowski's report on Gordon Hayward's injury, click here.
Gordon Hayward's injury woes since leaving Utah Jazz
Gordon Hayward spent the first seven years of his career with the Utah Jazz. Hayward left Utah in 2017 via free agency and signed with the Boston Celtics. Since leaving the Jazz, he has been plagued by injuries.
In his first game with the Celtics, Hayward suffered a fractured tibia and dislocated ankle in his left foot. He went on to miss the rest of the season. He returned to 72 games for the 2018-19 season but was hampered by a fracuted left hand in his third and final season in Boston.
Hayward was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 2020 but only played 104 games. He suffered nagging injuries to his hip, back, hand and foot in his first year in Charlotte. Last season, he struggled with left ankle and foot injuries.
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