Houston Texans Jadeveon Clowney played with sports hernia per Gil Brandt

Gil Brandt of NFL.com said that Jadeveon Clowney told him that he played his last season at South Carolina with the sports hernia he recently had surgery to repair.  If true, that would another ailment that Clowney battled through along with bone spurs in his feet that had many people questioning his work ethic and desire to be great while he played in college.

Both the bone spurs and hernia are injuries that can be played through if the person suffering is willing to put up with a significant amount of pain.  The Texans as a team have not commented on the situation to this point, but whether the hernia was from last year or during the training process, it did not stop the Texans from drafting him.

Clowney is expected to be ready to go for the start of the season, but obviously it would have been preferable if he was able to train and practice during this time.  Considering the grind of the last season and overall draft process, the rest of his body may be better off with some time off could allow him to break through the rookie wall, avoiding a late season let down common to a lot of rookies.

The expectations for the Texans are high because of Clowney projected to play alongside J.J. Watt in the Texans defense.  The fact that Clowney was as effective as he was in spite of the bone spurs and potentially a sports hernia should have fans excited about what he could be when he is fully healthy for the start of the season.