Joe Burrow Says It Was Tough to Shower, Go to Bathroom by Himself After Knee Surgery

Professional athletes have made recovering from serious injuries seem easy, but fans rarely see the challenges of rehab behind the scenes. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow offered a glimpse into his recovery to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

The 2020 No. 1 overall pick tore his ACL and MCL during his rookie season in November, and life was especially difficult immediately after the surgery in early December.

"It was just rehab twice a day trying to make it livable," Burrow said. "It was pretty miserable at the beginning. It was tough for me to do anything by myself, whether it was shower, go to the bathroom, all of that. I couldn't really do any of that on my own. That was probably about two or three weeks."

He expects to play Week 1 of the 2021 season, but it's still a long road back, and he said last week his knee is about 80-85 percent, per Mitch Stacy of the Associated Press.

"Still got to be patient," he said. "Can't push too hard."

The Bengals open the regular season Sept. 12 versus the Minnesota Vikings.