LONDON — Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas missed long stretches of Sunday’s 32-16 loss to Jacksonville due to an illness the team first reported early in the second half.
Douglas told the Herald after the game it was a stomach bug that had him feeling dizzy and unable to stand at times.
“I was throwing up all day today,” he said. “I couldn’t eat nothing, can’t keep anything in right now.”
Douglas played most of the first half before he was replaced by veteran wideout K.J. Osborn for four plays before halftime. He later sat on the sideline for the end of the game, when Osborn caught a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“It just got worse as I kept playing. So I made a business decision,” he told the Herald. “I wasn’t trying to get messed up out there. I couldn’t focus, nothing like that.”
Douglas added he had been taking medicine “all day.” Fellow wide receiver Javon Baker popped up Friday with an illness, and missed both practice that day and Sunday’s game. Douglas said he didn’t know if his illness was related to Baker’s.
The 23-year-old entered Sunday’s game as the team’s leader in receptions and receiving yards. He was not listed on any of the team’s injury reports during the week. During the game, he was spotted sitting on a water jug with a towel over his head. He also rode the stationary bike for a few minutes before halftime.
Douglas played just a single snap in the second half and finished with two catches for 14 yards.
“Yeah, I couldn’t stand for a long time. I had to sit down,” he said. “Felt like I was getting nauseous.”
