[Update: An early report stated that Lattimore broke his femur and patella and tore four ligaments in his right knee (ACL, MCL, PCL and LCL) but Steve Spurrier said on Sunday that Lattimore instead dislocated his knee and injured several ligaments, which is much better news for Lattimore's future. It appears they are aiming for a return in 2014.]
In one of the most gruesome injuries in college football history, South Carolina RB Marcus Lattimore severely injured his right leg during Saturday’s game vs. Tennessee.
Lattimore was being dragged down in the second quarter when Tennessee CB Eric Gordon hit Lattimore extremely low, resulting in the possibly catastrophic injury.
While the extent of Lattimore injury is unclear, it certainly appears his recovery will be extremely long. One of the universally well-liked players in college football, this injury comes almost exactly one year to the day after another brutal injury that Lattimore suffered that caused him to miss the rest of the 2011 season with a torn ligament in his left knee.
In a classy move by both teams, South Carolina and Tennessee players flooded the field to console Lattimore while he was fitted with an air cast and carted off the field with a towel over his head during the second quarter.
The injury is already being compared to the gruesome injuries suffered by Willis McGahee in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, Tyrone Prothro in 2005 and even Joe Theismann’s broken leg in the NFL in 1985. Prothro and Theismann never played football again while McGahee is still a starting running back for the Denver Broncos nearly a decade later.
We can only hope that Lattimore is able to bounce back from this injury like McGahee and eventually star in the NFL.
Right now, all we can do is wait.
[Warning: The video below is extremely graphic.]
