Two orthopedic physicians employed by the New Orleans Pelicans, fired by the Saints

According to Mike Triplett, an NFL reporter for ESPN, the New Orleans Saints have fired two team physicians, Deryk Jones and Misty Suri, after misdiagnosing cornerback Delvin Breaux with a contusion instead of a fractured fibula.

The Saints have fired team orthopedists Deryk Jones and Misty Suri, per source, after it was discovered that CB Delvin Breaux has a fractured fibula and will require surgery expected to sidelined him for 4-6 weeks. Breaux was originally diagnosed with a contusion – and the team was frustrated that he wasn't recovering more quickly until the missed diagnosis was revealed. It was accurately reported that the team has had an issue with Breaux's string of nagging injuries in the past, but this case is different. And it seems unlikely at this point that the team will be as eager to trade or release Breaux.

This football related news concerns us in the basketball world because both orthopedists are also employed by the New Orleans Pelicans.

Per Dr. Jones’ Ochsner webpage: “Dr. Deryk Jones is the Section Head of Sports Medicine and Cartilage Restoration at the Ochsner Sports Medicine Institute and is the head team physician for the New Orleans Saints NFL team and team physician for the New Orleans Pelicans NBA team.”

Per Dr. Suri’s webpage: “Misty Suri, M.D. is a fellowship-trained Sports Medicine Orthopaedic Surgeon. He is a surgeon, clinician, educator and researcher. Dr. Suri currently is a team physician for the New Orleans Saints, New Orleans Pelicans, University of New Orleans (Division I), Dillard University, Delgado, SUNO, Xavier, as well as several high schools in the New Orleans area.”

A scan of both their Linkedin pages fail to reveal specific hire dates, but Jones’ resume states he became the head team physician of the Saints back in June 2012. Meanwhile, Justin Verrier tweeted Suri is a recent addition to the Pelicans staff.

Obviously, today’s news will remind everyone of the numerous maladies that have inflicted the Pelicans in recent history; however, at this time, there is absolutely no evidence pointing to any wrongdoing in the past. It must be mentioned that U.S. News and World Report in 2012 ranked Jones in the top 1% from the field of sports medicine and orthopaedic surgery.

In case you have forgotten, Tom Benson gave his approval regarding the sale of the naming rights for the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans practice facilities to Ochsner less than a month ago. Yeah, this may not be the best look right now, but changes to a medical staff that often endured a good deal of public scrutiny could be a good thing.