‘SHUT UP!’ Miami Dolphins’ Jalen Ramsey Claps Back at Former AFC Team Doc

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins defensive back Jalen Ramsey is not going to be one of those players who disappears during his rehab. And he’s not going to sit idly by if he feels like he’s being slandered.

Ramsey hasn’t spoken to reporters since tearing his meniscus two weeks ago. But he’s done plenty of talking online, most recently in response to a less-than-favorable prognosis from former Chargers team physician-turned-Twitter doc David Chao.

Miami Dolphins’ Jalen Ramsey vs. Dr. David Chao

Full disclosure here: Dr. Chao is a FOPFN (friend of PFN). He’s always helpful and friendly. So this isn’t us dragging him. It’s just a statement of fact.

Ramsey did not at all like the fact that Chao, appearing on the I Am Athlete podcast, dared to say the following:

“I think it’s a tall order for Jalen Ramsey to come back and be Jalen Ramsey.”

Ramsey’s response?

“SHUT UP! I done let a couple things slide, but y’all have no clue what’s even going on, just talkin to hear y’all selves talk! Last I checked, I serve the 1 & ONLY God who dictates everything, not all these twitter/“X” doctors who have NEVER seen me in their lives lol

“God bless!”

SHUT UP! I done let a couple things slide, but y’all have no clue what’s even going on, just talkin to hear y’all selves talk! Last I checked, I serve the 1 & ONLY God who dictates everything, not all these twitter/“X” doctors who have NEVER seen me in their lives lol

God bless!

— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) August 8, 2023

Ramsey is expected to miss at least four months as he recovers from a full meniscus repair. But he’s already off crutches and walking around without a brace, a development that has some thinking he’s already ahead of schedule in his rehab.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was asked about just that Tuesday.

“There’s been a slew of crutches thievery in Miami Gardens,” McDaniel replied in jest. “Again, it’s a beautiful balance because I love where Jalen is at. He is attacking everything. I love that I can depend on our training staff to know that leaves someone vulnerable to over-exerting at this stage. So that balance has been doing excellent right now.

“In terms of ahead, I think if I say ‘ahead of schedule’ to our head trainer, he might open-hand slap me because he doesn’t believe in that. He believes in he’s doing well at this juncture, but you have to go through steps and plateaus. He was already resisting the crutches when he had the crutches. I pointed out to him that his triceps could use the work, but he didn’t agree.

“His spirits are great and it speaks to him. Like how many other guys do you see with a timetable such as his having ownership of the team and his guys more than Jalen Ramsey? I think it speaks to the type of individual, the type of leader that we have on the team and the fact that you guys have a visual aid of his recovery and that he’s not on crutches speaks to who he is and what this team and this locker room is about.”

So why are the Dolphins and Ramsey bullish about his long-term outlook, but Chao is less so?

He explained in that podcast appearance:

“I think it’s a tall order for Jalen Ramsey to come back and be Jalen Ramsey.”@ProFootballDoc explains the challenge of @jalenramsey returning to ALL-PRO form after a meniscus tear #FinsUp

Full #PaperRoute convo 📰:

Listen 🎧: pic.twitter.com/Sh8H8Wm0Bl

— I AM ATHLETE (@IAMATHLETEpod) August 8, 2023

“This is not inside information,” Chao said. “This is analysis from afar, based on insider knowledge of the game and meniscus tears. The good news is he had a meniscus repair, which means it was sewn. The bad news with that, that means it was a bigger tear and it needed to be sewn and now you need healing time.

“I unfortunately don’t make a lot out of seeing him walk without a brace. First of all, if you go by the book, and I’ve seen the Twitter stuff where people say, ‘Oh, it’s great news, he’s walking.’ Yes, it’s still non-weight-bearing crutches and a brace. But if you talk to any seasoned pro sports team doctor, that is advanced to weight-bearing as tolerated in certain range of motions, so that doesn’t necessarily speed up the timeline.

“It’s easier to return as a wide receiver than it is a DB because you’re dictating your routes. A DB has to react to the routes. It’s still hard for a wide receiver to come back from an ACL, but much harder for a DB to do so, because of what they have to do. I’m not overly optimistic, unfortunately, on Jalen Ramsey.”