Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron said he skipped the Reese's Senior Bowl on the advice of doctors because his body needed rest.
McCarron told al.com that he battled through numerous injuries during the 2013 season, including toe, shoulder and hamstring injuries.
He had been criticized for bypassing the Senior Bowl, which is played in his hometown of Mobile, Ala. He had been seen as a "healthy scratch," meaning there was no known medical reason for him to skip the event.
"When it came time to decide, I asked the advice of our team doctors, who are some of the best in the country," McCarron said. "They said I should stay out of the game and get my body back to 100 percent healthy."
McCarron said that while his shoulder does not require surgery, fatigue had been an issue since midseason.
"I jammed my shoulder when I was diving for the pylon against Tennessee," he said. "Structurally, there was never anything wrong, but since then I've been fighting a sore shoulder that just got more tired each week."
McCarron said he had undergone three weeks of rehabilitation and said he was cleared Tuesday to begin full workouts.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
