AP

When a player is listed on the injury report as “probable,” it doesn’t mean he’s probably going to play. It means he’s virtually certain to be available for normal duty.

So when the Browns listed cornerback Joe Haden as probable with rib and finger injuries and Haden didn’t play at San Diego, it raised eyebrows. It also has triggered scrutiny from the league office.

“As is customary in these instances, we have checked in with the club on this to provide an explanation,” a league spokesman told PFT. “We are looking into it.”

The Browns have 48 hours to provide an official explanation to the league office.

On Monday, coach Mike Pettine said, “We left it up to Joe and he made the decision that he didn’t want to go.” While plausible, it’s a conversation that initially should have been had on Friday, before the Browns listed Haden as being virtually certain to play. If there was any doubt about his availability or any inclination to give him the power to pull the plug on playing, he should have been listed as questionable.

While there’s no reason to doubt Pettine’s explanation, any team could provide that same excuse, turning the injury-reporting mechanism on its head with teams listing players as probable and players deciding on their own to not go.