Jalen Saunders unclear on what caused his 'medical event'

Jalen Saunders addressed reporters on Wednesday, but he provided no clarity on his playing status or his peculiar one-car accident five days earlier.

"I'm not going to go into too much detail cause I'm not really trying to relive that moment again," the Jets rookie wide receiver said. "Something was unusual. It wasn't a part of me, I guess you could say."

While en route to the team's practice facility last Friday morning, Saunders experienced a "medical event," according to a crash investigation report obtained from the Florham Park police. While trying to make a left-hand turn near the Jets' complex, his car left the roadway and ended up in the grass. He was not given alcohol or drug tests at the scene but was checked into a hospital.

Saunders ruled out this being a pre-existing condition and instead labeled it as "just some usual events that led me to have to take some tests down at the hospital." He said he didn't lose consciousness behind the wheel but couldn't recall if his car was in motion at the time of his medical event.

"It's very shocking," he said. "Obviously, you don't want to be at a young age going through something like that. Like I said, it was a shocking situation. Very unusual. But I'm alive and happy."

The Jets, who have provided little information on the situation, are taking a wait-and-see approach as it relates to his playing time. Coach Rex Ryan would only say that he's hoping the wide receiver is back on the field soon.

Saunders didn't make the trip to Cincinnati for the Jets' second preseason game last Saturday and hasn't practiced since the incident. Asked if there's a timetable for his return, he said: "Shoot, your best bet is as good as mine."

Nevertheless, he said he isn't "concerned at all" about his football career.

"I feel like I have a bright future ahead of me," the fourth-round pick said.

But in the meantime, he's still waiting for answers. Though Saunders promised he'll "be back on the field shortly," the Jets' medical staff is being extra cautious.

"Anything that's being said from the hospital, from their doctors and neurologists, is being brought straight here," Saunders said. "And whenever I find out fully what's going on, they'll make me understand what's going on with my body.

"I'm still unsure of what's going on. They haven't said too much. I don't know too much, so I can't sit here and tell you what's going on if I don't know anything."