Buccaneers star casually reveals he played through a major injury in 2021
This is the NFL, so players obviously have to be able to withstand pain. The Buccaneers take it to a whole different level, however. Last year, Tom Brady revealed he played with a torn MCL throughout the entirety of the 2020 season. Now, in a Friday afternoon Twitter thread, Buccaneers defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh revealed […]
This is the NFL, so players obviously have to be able to withstand pain. The Buccaneers take it to a whole different level, however.
Last year, Tom Brady revealed he played with a torn MCL throughout the entirety of the 2020 season. Now, in a Friday afternoon Twitter thread, Buccaneers defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh revealed he played with a torn PCL in 2021.
And he didn't miss a single game. Not one.
That is pretty wild. The PCL is a major ligament that is part of the ACL/MCL family. Per Orthoinfo.org, the PCL is located inside the knee, just behind the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and it is one of several ligaments that connect the femur (thighbone) to the tibia (shinbone). It keeps the tibia from moving backward with relation to the thigh bone.
In other words: that's some pretty serious stuff for Suh to play through.
To put Suh's injury into perspective: Jets rookie quarterback Zach Wilson merely sprained his PCL in October of 2021 and missed four games. From a sprain. Not a tear.
Suh didn't miss a game and finished the season with 6.0 sacks, which matches his 2020 mark with the Buccaneers. And, it's the first time he's had 6.0 or more sacks in consecutive seasons since 2014-2015. This is no way a comparison of toughness, by the way, it's more context that shows how not only did Suh play through a major injury, he also had a lot of success while doing so.
And to just casually reveal it on Twitter like he sprained a thumb or something adds even more grandiose to the whole situation.
Tampa Bay has a big decision when it comes to keeping Suh in 2022 and or letting him walk (no pun intended). He's been a standout for the Buccaneers since they brought him back in 2019, but salary cap issues could keep that from happening.
Whatever happens, hopefully Suh has a quick, efficient recovery so he can be fully ready for wherever he plays, next.
Featured image via Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
