Do Robyn Hayward’s allegations against Charlotte Hornets have merit?

The 2022-23 season for the Charlotte Hornets has not gone to plan to this point. A big reason for the team’s struggles is the rash of injuries that have hit the roster.

Unfortunately, Gordon Hayward is one player who has been particularly impacted by injuries, as a shoulder injury has caused him to miss nine of Charlotte’s first 20 games.

After missing eight games initially, Hayward returned to appear in three contests. However, it appears that he was not fully recovered, as he is now expected to be sidelines indefinitely with what is now being described as a “shoulder fracture”.

After the injury was initially described as a “shoulder contusion”, Hayward’s wife Robyn took to her Instagram account to clear the air on the details of Gordon’s latest setback.

If these allegation are true and the Charlotte Hornets deliberately downplayed the severity of Hayward’s injury, then there is a much larger issue at hand.

If Gordon Hayward was truly dealing with a fractured shoulder the entire time, then there is no circumstance in which he should have been on the floor. While he may have wanted to play through the injury, it is the responsibility of the Hornets’ medical staff to protect the player from themselves in such a situation.

More validity was added to Robyn Hayward’s allegations when the Hornets released their updated injury report ahead of Monday night’s game against the Boston Celtics.

Robyn Hayward also mentioned that she had been in touch with “a young players mom”. Beyond Gordon Hayward, the Charlotte Hornets’ injury report includes Cody Martin, Dennis Smith Jr., and LaMelo Ball. While it is unclear who exactly Robyn Hayward was speaking with, there seems to be a high likelihood that it was Tina Ball, the mother of LaMelo Ball.

While fans are justifiably frustrated by yet another Gordon Hayward injury, Robyn Hayward’s allegations may have just added a new layer to this evolving story.