Jonathon Brooks will spend more time on the sidelines after suffering a non-contact injury to the same knee in which he previously tore his ACL.
Standout rookie running back Brooks is just two games into his long-awaited return from injury, gradually increasing his numbers quickly after his NFL debut on November 24.
However, the Carolina Panthers star suffered a heartbreaking blow in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, going down with the ball in his hands despite not being touched by an opponent.
He appeared to pinch his right knee as he tried to cut, and was seen pounding the turf in frustration as medics rushed to his aid.
Brooks was then taken to the locker room and it was stated by the team that he was unlikely to return.
He wasn’t activated from the reserve/non-football injury list until early November, a year later after suffering an ACL injury to his right knee while playing for Texas.
Jonathon Brooks clutches his knee after going down on a non-contact play for the Panthers
Brooks played in only his third NFL game after suffering an ACL tear his senior year of college
But with only nine left in his NFL career, he faces even more time on the sidelines.
It’s just the latest blow to the Panthers in a terrible season that has seen them sport a 3-9 record.
The team won back-to-back against the Saints and Giants to start November on a boom, but followed that up with losses to the Chiefs and Bucs, with Brooks playing in both.
On social media, fans shared Brooks’ heartbreak, with one writing, “Let’s pray it’s not another ACL.”
Another said: ‘Horrible to see.’