Nonetheless, Brown refuses to harp on the negative. He is already hard at work to come back at some point this season and suit up for the Chargers, who still have big plans for the second-year wideout.
“I’m just focused on getting back,” he said, standing on crutches outside the team’s training room Tuesday morning as his teammates took part in a joint practice with the Cowboys. “It’s an unfortunate injury, but I’ve just got to bounce back and in the meantime help and support these guys any way I can.”
As he stood a few feet from the field, one by one members of the wide receiving corps left the field and approached their fallen comrade, embracing him tightly while wishing him the best. It was the first time they’d seen him since Saturday night when the injury occurred, and they were all eager to know how he was holding up. It was a true testament of how close this team is this season, and for Brown, their support and sincerity touched him deeply.
"They’ve been so encouraging and everything, it really means a lot to me,” he said. “When I was being brought to the locker room (when I got injured), they all came up to me to see how I was. They were in the locker room right as soon as they could to see how I was holding up, so to have teammates who care as much as they do, it’s special.”
The players aren’t the only ones who have Brown’s back, as the entire coaching staff has remained in constant contact with him, offering him endless words of encouragement.
“The coaches have been great,” he said with a smile. “They’ve been really supportive and it means a whole lot to me. They want me to bounce back and get to where I was as soon as I can, but to be smart about it. It’s tough but we’ve got to keep looking forward.”
Finally, Brown mentioned one more group whose backing has kept his spirits high despite the disappointing setback – the fans.
“They’ve been unbelievable,” he said, his smile growing even bigger. “Just knowing how great the fan base is here, they support us a lot. They love the Chargers out here. It’s unfortunate I had to go down, but it’s good to hear the things they’ve been saying and know that they have my back and are on my side. They’ve been sending me their thoughts and prayers, wishing me a speedy recovery. I’m going to do my best to come back and reward that support.”
All together, the support of the fans, coaches and his teammates only fuel Brown’s fire to return this season even more, and if it is up to him, he will be back on the field as fast as humanly possible.
“Obviously I want to come back this season,” he said, speaking with great determination. “I have the hope that I can. Like I said it’s an unfortunate injury, and it will take some time to get back to where I was, but I’m not worried that it will stop me from being who I am out on the field. I’ve just got to put the hard work in during the rehab process and we will see where I end up. I want to be ready to help this team whenever it is that I get healthy.”
