New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas will have to start the 2021 season on the sidelines. Earlier today, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport announced that Thomas underwent surgery on his ankle and is facing a lengthy recovery.
“Saints star WR Michael Thomas is expected to miss the start of the 2021 season after undergoing surgery to repair the ligaments in his ankle in June,” Rapoport said. “Based on the timing of the surgery – and recommended 4 months of recovery – Thomas could be on the sideline for weeks.”
Rapoport shared additional details on Thomas’ injury during this Friday’s appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. It turns out the All-Pro wideout had ligament damage in his ankle that needed to be fixed.
“The plan was for him to have a minor ankle cleanup after the end of the season,” Rapoport said. “What I found out last night was that in June he had a major ankle surgery. It was to repair torn ligaments in his ankle – about a four-month recovery. So what you’re looking at is missing the first several weeks of the season – maybe five, six or seven – if everything goes well.”
Obviously, the timing of this news is just brutal for the Saints. They’ll have to spend at least the first few games of the season without their best wide receiver. On the other hand, the team really didn’t have a choice since this injury was lingering for so long.
“I know he needed the surgery, so this was not a decision from Michael Thomas,” Rapoport told McAfee. “He had to have it. The timing was unfortunate, but he had to have it.”
An update on the ankle surgery for #Saints WR Michael Thomas & a possible timetable on his return from @RapSheet #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/NWObefxNjj
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 23, 2021
When healthy, Thomas is arguably the best wideout in the NFL. In 2019, he had 149 receptions for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns.
This ankle injury has really affected Thomas for the past year, but hopefully the procedure he underwent will allow him to return to his superstar form.
The post NFL Insider Shares New Details On Michael Thomas Injury appeared first on The Spun.
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