Marvin Lewis misses Bengals training camp practice due to “minor health issue”

Something very strange happened during Tuesday’s Bengals training camp practice.

It had nothing to do with the players, but instead, head coach Marvin Lewis.

Lewis was not in attendance at Tuesday’s practice. According to Jay Morrison he spent time on a cart on Monday at practice, which is not usual for the Bengals’ head coach.

Other reports said he was favoring one of his legs on Monday. Lewis was spotted at the team facilities on Tuesday before not being out on the field for practice on Tuesday afternoon.

The Bengals on Tuesday released the following statement regarding Lewis’ absence.

It reads, “Coach Marvin Lewis will be taking time away from the team to focus on a minor health issue. He will be back as soon as possible, which could be today or later this week. Special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons will lead the team during Coach Lewis’ absence.”

The Bengals face the Buccaneers on Friday for the first preseason game of the year. If the health concern Lewis is dealing with is truly “minor” he will likely be back for the game.

Whatever he is dealing with, hopefully he gets better soon and is back to coaching the Bengals by the time Friday’s preseason game kicks off.

Update 6:10 p.m. ET: Per NFL Network’s Stacey Dales, Coach Lewis is dealing with a blood clot in his ankle. He may in fact miss Friday’s game if this is true.

Update 6:28 p.m. ET: Now, Dales is reporting it’s a Baker’s Cyst in his ankle, not a blood clot.

Though, according to the Mayo Clinic, a Baker’s Cyst is something that occurs in the knee, not ankle.

A Baker's cyst is a fluid-filled cyst that causes a bulge and a feeling of tightness behind your knee. The pain can get worse when you fully flex or extend your knee or when you're active....

Although a Baker's cyst may cause swelling and make you uncomfortable, treating the probable underlying problem usually provides relief.