Aj McCarron battles injury and emotion in XFL Conference title loss

St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback AJ McCarron sat by himself during his postgame press conference, the last to face the media after falling to the San Antonio Brahmas 25-15 in the XFL Conference championship on Sunday, June 9, in St. Louis.

While answering a question asked about his reinjured ankle at the end of the first half, he took a quick glance at his two sons, who arrived shortly after he did.

The veteran quarterback was then overwhelmed by emotion.

“Having my boys in here, one about them,” McCarron said, “trying to show them you got to be able to push through (expletive), especially at a young age. As a kid, they slide into second, skin their knee up, the first thing they want to do is, ‘Oh, my knee.’ I know, especially my oldest right here, he likes to exaggerate a lot of injuries, so trying to show him: Hey, you got to push through it.”

McCarron has battled his ankle injury since first sustaining it at Birmingham in Week 7. He felt it again at the end of the first half, but stayed throughout the game, where he completed 19-of-29 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown.

“It was the same, exact situation from Birmingham,” McCarron said. “I haven’t seen the TV clip, but I could feel it as soon as he fell on it. It was the exact, same way. It just sucked. Tried to get through it. I told (St. Louis coach Anthony Becht) I’d go see the doctors and then let him know if I could go.”

Backup quarterback Manny Wilkins was ready to go if needed, but head coach Anthony Becht was going to live and die with the veteran quarterback responsible for the team’s success.

"[McCarron] has sacrificed a lot to play and come back, for getting through injury and treatment,” Becht said. “He doesn't make any excuses for that."

In two seasons with St. Louis, McCarron completed 367-of-550 passes for 3,732 yards with 39 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 17 regular-season games. After a long career as a backup quarterback in the NFL, mostly with the Cincinnati Bengals, McCarron joined the Battlehawks in the XFL last year so his kids could watch him play.

He returned for the UFL to seize on the opportunity to lead the Battlehawks to the championship game after rumors that it was going to take place in St. Louis.

He played through all the pain and challenges not just for his kids but for the young players on his team who aren’t in his position and are trying to parlay their success in the spring to an opportunity in the NFL.

“Listen, I care, even when it was the XFL, I care a lot about this league,” McCarron said. “A lot about why I came back, like I don’t need the money, but I think being able to show the guys how to do it right, how to be a pro. Like I’ve said many a times – it’s no secret – I want to be a part of this league. I think I can still play at a high level. I think I’ve shown that this year. But whether it’s being a coach in this league, I think this league has a great opportunity to grow and really showcase a lot of guys and help guys achieve their goal. I played nine years in the (NFL), and my goal always was to play 10.

“But I think me being out there, one, for my boys so they have the experience of watching me play, and then, two, helping this league grow, I think I can do that, whether that’s playing, whether that’s coaching, however, the top officials of this league see fit. But I love being a part of this league. I love helping this league grow. I think it has a great opportunity because every professional sport has some sort of minor league except the NFL. … There’s so many ways this league can grow, and it has a great opportunity, so I love being a part of it. I love helping the people push this league. I try to do everything I can to bring good light to this league.

McCarron said he will need to “get my ankle fixed” before any talk about a return to the NFL for a 10th season. He joined the Bengals mid-season as a backup after Joe Burrow’s season ended early due to injury.

Having a prolific passer like McCarron has done a great service for offensive players like running back Jacob Saylors and wide receiver Hakeem Butler, who earned All-UFL honors before the start of the playoffs.

Butler, who was named UFL Offensive Player of the Year, earned the respect of San Antonio head coach Wade Phillips, who told him after the game that he would recommend the young receiver to “everybody in the NFL that I talk to.”

NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday that the Carolina Panthers are expected to invite Butler to a workout before training camp.

The UFL Championship Game between the Brahmas and Birmingham Stallions, led by MVP quarterback Adrian Martinez, will take place at the Dome at America’s Center on Sunday, June 19.