On Friday, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if he wanted to reveal the severity of Trent Williams' injury. The offensive lineman is dealing with an ankle sprain, but until today, it was unknown if it was of the high or low variety. High-ankle sprains tend to be more severe and require longer recoveries.
Obviously, there is an advantage to keeping the details of the injury a secret. That's why it surprised a few reporters when quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, likely accidentally, revealed the severity.
Garoppolo was asked about Williams' mentality this week, trying to get healthy enough to play in Sunday's NFC Championship Game matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
"Well, he is doing everything he can," Garoppolo said. "I've seen him in here just putting in the hours in the training room, studying and all that stuff. Hopefully, we'll get to see him out there, but we'll see.
"Those high ankles are never a fun thing. I know that from experience, but all the guys, everyone's dealing with stuff right now. It's just that time of year. And it's a good group to have with me in that huddle."
Williams did not practice this week and is listed as "questionable" for Sunday's game. On Friday, he was out on the practice field but left before warmups. Still, Shanahan sounded confident that Williams would try to play through the injury.
"He came out for walk-through today, and Trent's adamant that he's going," Shanahan said. "He was last time, too. I believe Trent when he says that he's going to do everything he can to play, so I'd be surprised if he doesn't. But I was surprised last time. I was also surprised he was able to finish the game versus Green Bay.
"So hopefully, his mindset will be how his body reacts on Sunday. We know it would help us a lot, but if not, we'll deal with it."