Carolina Panthers star Jonathon Brooks is out for the season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, it has been announced.
Brooks, who has now suffered two ACL tears in the space of 13 months, was carted off the field after going down with a non-contact injury in Sunday’s defeat at the Philadelphia Eagles.
The standout rookie running back was only two games into his much-anticipated comeback from injury, gradually upping his snap count after making his NFL debut on November 24.
And 24 hours after he went down injured against the Eagles, the Panthers have confirmed that Brooks tore his ACL in the very same knee as before at Lincoln Financial Field.
After drafting him in the second round of this year’s draft, Carolina placed the former Texas player on their reserve/non-football injury list to start his rookie season as he continued to recover from the torn ACL he suffered for the Longhorns in November 2023.
He eventually made his debut away to the Kansas City Chiefs at the end of last month, registering two carries for seven yards.
Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (bottom) tore his ACL in Sunday’s defeat at the Eagles
Brooks, who is in his rookie year, has now suffered two ACL tears in the space of 13 months
Yet in the first quarter of Sunday’s game at Philadelphia, Brooks went down with the ball in his hands despite not being touched by an opponent.
He appeared to tweak his right knee while trying to cut, and was seen pounding the turf in frustration as medics rushed to his aid.
Brooks was then carted to the locker room and was listed as unlikely to return by the team.
He must now undergo rehabilitation on a torn ACL for the second time in just over a year to try and be ready in time for the 2025 season.
It is just the latest blow for the Panthers in an awful season that sees them sitting with a 3-9 record.
The team won two in a row against the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants to begin November with a flourish, but then followed it up with losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Brooks playing in both.
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