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So does McCarron skipping the Senior Bowl, for valid reasons or not, impact his draft position?
Alabama QB AJ McCarron explains his decision to skip Reese's Senior Bowl
MOBILE, Alabama - Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, clarified Tuesday night why he made the difficult decision to not participate in the 2014 Reese's Senior Bowl in his hometown.
McCarron, who has attended the Senior Bowl with his family since he was a child, said he took the advice of his doctors to rest his body following a long season that included a toe injury the week before the season opener, a sore shoulder that was aggravated while diving for the end zone against Tennessee and a nagging hamstring injury.
"It's always been a dream of mine to play in the Senior Bowl in my hometown," McCarron told the Alabama Media Group. "But my body was banged up during the year. I wanted to push through it and finish out the year for my teammates.
"When it came time to decide, I asked the advice of our team doctors, who are some of the best in the country. They said I should stay out of the game and get my body back to 100 percent healthy."
McCarron caused a stir by showing up in Atlanta for Alabama's season-opener against Virginia Tech wearing a protective boot after a teammate stepped on his toe in practice. The injury caused him trouble all year, leading to a minor surgical procedure four days after the Sugar Bowl.
"When my toe got stepped on, the nail on my big toe cracked and the doctor had to cut off most of it," he said. "It never healed all season and kept getting infected. We thought the nail would grow back together, but a new nail grew under it. So after the Sugar Bowl I had a procedure to cut the nail out again. I was in a boot for a week after that."
McCarron's shoulder does not require surgery, but fatigue has been an issue since midseason.
"I jammed my shoulder when I was diving for the pylon against Tennessee," he said. "Structurally, there was never anything wrong, but since then I've been fighting a sore shoulder that just got more tired each week."
McCarron said that the three weeks of rehabilitation since the end of the season have been a huge help. He said he was cleared Tuesday for the first time since the Sugar Bowl to begin full workouts.
"My shoulder feels better than it ever has now," said McCarron, who is in Jackson, Miss., training at David Morris' QB Country at D1. "I've been working on my throwing mechanics and my arm is going to be stronger than it's ever been."
McCarron said he also sought the counsel of Alabama coach Nick Saban.
"Coach Saban and I sat down and talked about it right before the bowl game," McCarron said. "He told me you have to make a business decision. It's only the right decision."
McCarron, who has worn the Mobile area code 251 on his wristband throughout his college career, said he still supports his hometown and its marquee all-star game.
MOBILE, Alabama - Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, clarified Tuesday night why he made the difficult decision to not participate in the 2014 Reese's Senior Bowl in his hometown.
McCarron, who has attended the Senior Bowl with his family since he was a child, said he took the advice of his doctors to rest his body following a long season that included a toe injury the week before the season opener, a sore shoulder that was aggravated while diving for the end zone against Tennessee and a nagging hamstring injury.
"It's always been a dream of mine to play in the Senior Bowl in my hometown," McCarron told the Alabama Media Group. "But my body was banged up during the year. I wanted to push through it and finish out the year for my teammates.
"When it came time to decide, I asked the advice of our team doctors, who are some of the best in the country. They said I should stay out of the game and get my body back to 100 percent healthy."
McCarron caused a stir by showing up in Atlanta for Alabama's season-opener against Virginia Tech wearing a protective boot after a teammate stepped on his toe in practice. The injury caused him trouble all year, leading to a minor surgical procedure four days after the Sugar Bowl.
"When my toe got stepped on, the nail on my big toe cracked and the doctor had to cut off most of it," he said. "It never healed all season and kept getting infected. We thought the nail would grow back together, but a new nail grew under it. So after the Sugar Bowl I had a procedure to cut the nail out again. I was in a boot for a week after that."
McCarron's shoulder does not require surgery, but fatigue has been an issue since midseason.
"I jammed my shoulder when I was diving for the pylon against Tennessee," he said. "Structurally, there was never anything wrong, but since then I've been fighting a sore shoulder that just got more tired each week."
McCarron said that the three weeks of rehabilitation since the end of the season have been a huge help. He said he was cleared Tuesday for the first time since the Sugar Bowl to begin full workouts.
"My shoulder feels better than it ever has now," said McCarron, who is in Jackson, Miss., training at David Morris' QB Country at D1. "I've been working on my throwing mechanics and my arm is going to be stronger than it's ever been."
McCarron said he also sought the counsel of Alabama coach Nick Saban.
"Coach Saban and I sat down and talked about it right before the bowl game," McCarron said. "He told me you have to make a business decision. It's only the right decision."
McCarron, who has worn the Mobile area code 251 on his wristband throughout his college career, said he still supports his hometown and its marquee all-star game.
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