Teddy Bridgewater went under the knife on Thursday and is now in the infant stages of his recovery from “multi-ligament reconstruction.”
Matt Vensel of the Star-Tribune passed along the account of athletic trainer Eric Sugarman, who was in Dallas, Texas with Bridgewater.
Statement from @EricSugarATC on Teddy Bridgewater's surgery. He says there were multiple knee ligaments repaired. pic.twitter.com/UkWvRFrf7y
— Matt Vensel (@mattvensel) September 9, 2016
The Minnesota Vikings originally confirmed that Bridgewater had completely torn his ACL and dislocated his knee. In that statement, the club acknowledged “other structural damage.”
Obviously now we know that it was more than just his ACL that was either completely torn or at least partially torn.
This brings into focus the reports that Bridgewater’s recovery might be longer than one year. Some have suggested his injury could potentially be career-threatening. And based on Sugarman’s statement in which he says, “Teddy has every reason to be very optimistic,” it’s not a sure thing he’ll be back.
Careers have been ruined on injuries like this one. Former San Francisco 49ers running back Marcus Lattimore never saw a single snap in the NFL after suffering a similar injury during his days at South Carolina.
And when you hear hardened guys like Alex Boone say it was “the craziest thing I’ve ever seen” in regards to the actual injury, you know it was horrifying.
We wish Bridgewater nothing but the best in his recovery. It sounds like it will be a long one, but given his positive attitude and the camaraderie he has fostered with his teammates, he’ll pull through.