Bill O’Brien stands behind Jadeveon Clowney.

O’Brien said Monday he’s unsure whether the rookie linebacker will return to action Sunday during the Texans’ Week 14 contest at Jacksonville. But the first-year coach made a point to publicly support the No. 1 overall pick of the 2014 NFL draft.

“I do want to say that this guy has worked extremely hard to recover from injuries,” O’Brien said at NRG Stadium. “And I want to be real clear with this (about) him, as it relates to us here, to the Houston Texans: We think very highly of him. We know that he’s going to be a really good player. And he’s been unlucky.

“I don’t really care about what anybody thinks about what I say in that realm of being unlucky or lucky. I’m just telling you he’s had a sports hernia, he’s had a concussion and now he’s dealing with a knee injury and those things are not easy in your rookie year. And he’s in there every day working extremely hard to get better.”

via Brian T. Smith of The Ultimate Texans