Pittman said a team doctor took an X-ray and diagnosed him with an ankle sprain.
“I didn’t get an MRI,” he said. “They took me to the team doctor, and he looked at my swelling and just told me I had a lateral sprain.
“I wanted to do my best to get back as fast as possible.”
More than a month later, when his ankle didn’t improve, Pittman said he sought an evaluation from an outside ankle specialist at his father’s urging. An MRI found a partially torn Achilles and a high ankle sprain, Pittman said.
His father, Michael Pittman, a former NFL receiver, questioned the Utah medical staff’s process.
“I don’t think they handled it the best way possible for my son to have the best outcome,” he said. “I feel that they did what they thought was better for the team’s outcome instead of my son’s long-term health.”
Another former Utah player, who played with the team from 2019-24, said he also questioned how his injuries were handled.
The Tribune granted the player anonymity because he said he feared retaliation.
The player said he repeatedly asked for an MRI for what he called a “nagging” foot injury.