Luis Robles didn't get the nickname "Ironman" for nothing and he didn't play 183 consecutive games without an iron will.
But, we never truly know what some players overcome to get on the field or truly how much it takes to keep some players off the field. According to Robles himself, he has been playing with a torn ACL this season. He was a guest of the Seeing Red podcast when he made the revelation.
"I know it's not documented, but I ended up tearing my ACL," Robles said. "So here I am in Colorado, I feel totally fine and yet, we get back to New Jersey and the doctor looks at the play and is like, 'Hey, you should probably go get an MRI.' And I go, 'It's fine. I feel fine. I can go out there and play. Because physically, I felt great. I was a little sore, but there was nothing in my mind that something was wrong with my ACL."
Robles adhered to the doctor's suggestion and went for the MRI and was baffled what it revealed.
"I go take the MRI, and the MRI comes back and says my ACL's messed up. I'm sitting there on the table thinking, 'What does this mean? What does this mean for me now, and what does this mean for me going forward? What kind of impact is it going to have on my future down the road?'"
The answer for Robles was to see doctor after doctor to learn the full extent of the injury. Turns out, it was a partially torn ACL and the rest of his knee was fine. He was told if he could pass a physical test, he could play.
But he had to wait to take the test, meaning his streak of consecutive games played would end at 183.
"So we waited a week to do the physical test, the doctor wasn't ready," Robles said. "We waited two weeks to do the physical test, the doctor still wasn't ready. Finally after three weeks, we did the test, and I passed with flying colors. The crazy part about it is the whole time I felt fine. In the end, when you look at the MRI, you have to believe the doctor, you have to know that he is a doctor, he went to medical school, he knows what he's looking at, and even though I feel fine, I have to trust him, I have to put my faith in his advice."
Robles says it's fine heading into the playoffs, as it has been since he returned in June.
