Terrell Owens Reportedly Had ACL Surgery, Puts Career in Jeopardy

Wide receiver Terrell Owens had knee surgery in the past month according to a report from Chris Mortensen. Mortensen says Dr. James Andrews performed an operation on T.O.’s knee to repair a torn ACL, an injury that was not publicly disclosed. It’s not publicly known how the injury was sustained, but one source told Mortensen the injury occurred while T.O. was filming a reality show. Another source said the injury occurred while he was doing a personal workout, which makes more sense.

Owens tore the meniscus in his left knee in the Bengals’ 14th game of the season last year, but this injury reportedly is unrelated. Owens was having a successful season prior to the injury, catching 72 passes for 983 yards and nine touchdowns, so there’s little doubt he could still be an asset to a team. The problem is the recovery could take six months meaning he wouldn’t be available until late in the season (if there is one).

T.O. is 37 years old and his knee injury will likely turn teams off from signing him. A team could bring him in if he’s ready late in the year and they need wide receiver help, but the surgery could take away his speed, quickness, and ability to make cuts. When you combine Owens’ off-putting personality with his age and the injury recover time, this could be enough to ruin his career. Terrell is a tough guy so I wouldn’t write him off yet, but this certainly doesn’t help his career.