Derek Carr confirms he has shoulder injury, pushes back against critics

The status of Saints quarterback Derek Carr continues to be one of the most important — and strangest — stories of the offseason.

Carr had a shoulder injury that no one knew about. It came up out of nowhere. Questions linger about when it happened, how bad it is, whether he'll have surgery, and whether he'll play for the Saints again, this year or ever.

Some answers arrived over the weekend, from an unlikely place. While speaking at a two-hour church service on Sunday, Carr addressed the situation.

"Yes, I have to say this," Carr said. "I hate that I have to say this, but I have to say this. Yes, I have a shoulder injury, despite what ESPN says. And what some lady on a podcast might think, OK? I have an MRI report to prove it. The team knows about it. We've been in constant communication. There's nothing wrong. We're figuring it out, and we're gonna go forward with that. Is that OK?

"And I've been dealing with this, and I've been dealing with people lying about me and I've been dealing with them saying this and this and that, and I'm like, 'Lord, why do I have to continue to deal with this nonsense? Like, what is going on?' And I said that to a preface with you never know what someone's really going through.

"And so why do we continually try to attack people? And I would say attack people that are trying to do things maybe the right way. Why do we continually try — why do we always have to have an opinion? Why do we — Twitter and Instagram has ruined things for some people? Because now all these people think that they have voices that have to be heard, and so like some people's voices don't need to be heard right now. I've just got to be honest with you. Because not one of our opinions in here matters. Did you know that? The only opinion that matters is that text right there. It is the word of God. And everything must bow at that."

It's an interesting platform for Carr to air his grievances about the natural reaction to the sudden news of his previously undisclosed injury. In the absence of facts, people will try to fill the void. Given the awkward vibe that has persisted between Carr and the Saints throughout the offseason, people will naturally wonder how real the injury is.

There's an easy solution for anyone who believes that the voices on social media don't matter. Don't pay attention to them. If you're looking for unanimous and universal praise, social media is not the place to find it. No matter how many accounts you block.

So why does Carr "have to deal with this nonsense"? It goes with the territory of being a high-profile professional athlete. It comes with making $40 million this year, and of having career earnings at just under $200 million.

Thick skin is a must. In the absence of it, it's important to handle things in a way that will minimize criticism. Regardless of the true state of his health, this situation has not been handled in a way that will keep voices in the media and in social media from sharing their opinions.

Everyone was surprised to hear, out of nowhere, that he has a shoulder injury. And there's been just enough quiet tension between Carr and the Saints to make people wonder whether we're witnessing competing moves on a high-stakes chessboard.