This is pretty tough news from the Georgia football team: Trinton Sturdivant tore the ACL in his right knee in Saturday's scrimmage, the team announced on Sunday evening.
It's the third torn ACL for Sturdivant, who had fought back to health after twice having surgery on his left knee.
Head athletic trainer Ron Courson said, through a team spokesman, that Sturdivant will "undergo surgery sometime this week to repair the knee ligament and is expected to conduct his rehab at UGA."
Sturdivant began his career in 2007 by starting every game at left tackle. Then he tore his ACL and missed the 2008 season. When he returned to start the 2009 season, he once again tore the ACL and missed the rest of the season.
He worked his way back slowly last season, eventually getting back into the lineup and making seven starts at left tackle.
Sturdivant and Cordy Glenn, who was switching from guard, were working at both tackle spots this spring. The pair were expected to anchor the line, along with fellow senior Ben Jones at center, so the news is a major blow to that unit.
Redshirt freshman Brent Benedict, who himself is returning from shoulder surgery, could be a candidate to replace Sturdivant. The team could also shift Kenarious Gates, a sophomore guard, to one of the tackle spots.
The Bulldogs also have redshirt freshman Kolton Houston, junior A.J. Harmon, and incoming freshmen Zach DeBell, Watts Dantzler and Hunter Long.
The injury doesn't necessarily mean Sturdivant's career is over. He could apply for a sixth year on medical grounds, and would appear to qualify since he would have missed two seasons because of injury.
The week before the Liberty Bowl, Sturdivant spoke publicly for the first time since the second surgery. He admitted the rehabilitation process was “real tough,” especially after going through it the first time.
“To have it happen the second time, knowing the ultimate goal for every college player should be the NFL, to for that to be tarnished because of the injuries was tough,” Sturdivant said. “And being that you won’t be able to play with your teammates, and you don’t know if you’re going to be able to come off and play well. It was a serious struggle of mine.”
Sturdivant briefly considered entering the NFL draft, but decided to come back upon hearing that he could improve his draft stock by playing a solid, healthy senior year.
"Hopefully it will," Sturdivant said in announcing his return. "You never know what God has in store for you. But that's what a lot of people are telling me."
Sunday, April 10, 2011
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17 comments:
So sad to hear, life has its ups and downs, my family will be praying for a speedy recovery
That sucks
I wonder if this would have happened if the coaches let him stay at LT instead of switching him back and forth to RT.
I hope he has some great family and friends to keep his head up.
Anon 7:29, that has to be the most ignorant and ridiculous comment I have ever heard regarding him cross-training. You are an idiot of the highest caliber my friend. God bless Sturdy and may he have a speedy recovery. Knowing what a solid student he is, I'm sure he has a very bright future in front of him no matter what he does. DGD, period!
I hate it for the kid. At this point you almost stop worrying about "will he play again" and switch to "will he have a normal walking life?"
I hope he gets healthy and has a great life - whether it includes another year of football or not.
Sad to hear. I somehow knew this would happen again. Some blame it on strength and conditioning. I really dint know why. Looks like the injury bug is gonna crop up again in Athens for some strange reason. There is something definitely wrong here cause UGA gets more than its fair share of injuries. Just saying.....
This is a major blow to an offensive line that was pathetic last year. Dawgs still have a long ways to go as it has shown with the injuries and the not so spectacular running game in the scrimmages so far.
I thought Benedict was coming off a knee injury in high school. Did he hurt his shoulder last year?
Hate to hear about for Sturdivant. He has given so much to the program and worked through so many rehabs.
I was glad they were trying him at RT, because I know the exposure to a new position would make him more marketable. Hopefully, he can go through this one more time and will have the NFL caliber season he deserves.
This is awful news for the kid. I hope he had some sort of insurance that can help him, because his NFL career is gone. Our program has been snake bit for three years now. No one associated with this program can catch a break.
Best wishes for Trinton. That said, the perma-optimists may call all of these injuries bad luck, but it smells like a S & C program that is wearing these players down. Who will be left standing to line up against Boise State?
ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Again for this same poor kid? :(
Good luck with the rehab, Trinton.
Trinton, rehab the knee at UGA and get your education while you can. No one will draft you with 3 torn ACL's in the NFL. I wouldn't even worry about playing at UGA again. Just get healthy and get that degree
Just devastating. As someone going through rehab after ACL surgery myself, I know how frustrating and taxing the recovery from this surgery is. To have to go through it three times would make me want to quit. I commend Trinton for wanting to keep going and I wish him all the best in achieving his dreams.
Best of luck to you Trinton. You've been strong enough to rehab through this twice before, give it another go!
For right now, my advice would be to rehab at UGA and concentrate on getting your degree. Then, when the time comes further down the road, decide whether you want to play again. There's no rush...regardless of what some people will tell you.
This kid has a lot of heart and determination - a "never quit" attitude. While his football career may be on thin ice at this point, he'll be successful at whatever he decides to do with that kind of attitude and drive. Maybe coaching is in his future?
Trinton is a great student, so I'm sure his degrees in Finance and Management will take him far. Still, I hope he recovers from this injury and is able to pursue his football career as long as possible. I have no doubt he'll rise above this tough challenge.
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