Seattle Seahawks Russell Okung playing through torn labrum

Seattle Seahawks star left tackle Russell Okung left the team’s Week 3 win over the Denver Broncos in the second quarter with a shoulder injury, but the injury-prone Oklahoma State product was able to return later on in the game. Okung missed about half of the 2013 season with a significant injury before giving the team a huge boost when he returned, and although the injuries hurt his value, they still don’t detract too much from his star talent; he’s clearly an important part of this Seahawks team.

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Okung’s injury seemed like a minor shoulder injury that he shrugged off and kept playing through, because we haven’t heard anything about…until today. Per team sources close to Q13 FOX’s Aaron Levine, Okung actually suffered a torn laburm during the Broncos game and has been playing through it since. The exact severity of the injury isn’t known, but Levine reports that the injury is indeed believed to be “significant” (it’s a torn labrum, so you can only imagine).

It’s incredible how tough players are, and I wonder if Okung feels compelled to play through the pain due to the financial implications of being labeled as “injury-prone”, which is undoubtedly a tag the talented 27-year-old is trying to shred. He’s tough as heck, but playing through injuries can actually hurt him financially by jeopardizing his long-term health or giving teams worst tape of him. Okung’s contract doesn’t run out until 2016, so he’s likely just tough it out to give his team the best chance of winning. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how severe the injury is and what the Seahawks and their star LT plan on doing about it going forward, especially now that word of it has been leaked (assuming it’s true, of course).