Pro Football Players With Torn ACLs

You can view the 2014 All-NFL Torn ACL Team Roster.

We've compiled a list of professional athletes that overcame their ACL tears and returned to their respective professional sports. Check out the list of NFL players with torn ACLs who have recovered or are recovering. These pro athletes show that with enough determination (and arthroscopic surgery), you can overcome what used to be career ending knee injuries and return to sports at any level of competition.

2013 NFL ACL Injuries

Here is a list of 2013 NFL athletes with torn ACLs. It's only preseason, and already multiple athletes have been suffered ACL tears. Most notably, the Philadelphia Eagles have had two players tear their ACLs while at training camp (Jeremy Maclin and Jason Phillips). The Denver Broncos' lost center Dan Koppen to an ACL tear during the 2013 preseason as well.

The Washington Redskins' quarterback Robert Griffin III (RG3) is also still recovering from ACL surgery that he had in January 2013. RG3s torn ACL recovery is going reportedly very well, and he seems to be in great shape for having underwent ACL reconstruction surgery only 6.5 months before training camp. The Green Bay Packer's right tackle Bryan Bulaga tore his ACL near the end of training camp, a result of what packers.com is calling "players getting too strong for their own good". San Diego Charger's wide receiver Danario Alexander and Eagles' wide second wide receiver Arrelious Benn also tore their ACLs prior to the 2013 NFL preseason starting.

We also can't forget that new Tampa Bay Buccaneer Darrelle Revis is recovering from an ACL tear from the 2012 season, and is reportedly doing well on the road to recovery.

Notable Football ACL Injuries

Below you'll see some famous NFL players who have suffered torn ACL knee injuries.

Willis McGahee suffered one of the most gruesome knee injuries every broadcast on television during his college career at the University of Miami. To the surprise of many, he recovered from his multi-ligament-tearing injury and has enjoyed a successfully NFL career. Towards the end of the 2012 NFL season with the Denver Broncos McGahee tore his MCL, but is expected to recover fully after six to eight weeks. On Christmas eve of 2011, Adrian Peterson tore his ACL. Many of us have to remind ourselves that this happened less than a year before Peterson nearly broke the all-time record for rushing yards in a season in the NFL, and carried his Minnesota Vikings to the postseason, not letting his ACL reconstruction slow him down one step of the way. New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady's ACL tear is less recent, dating back to 2008 when his knee buckled after a hit from Bernard Pollard. Brady missed the remainder of the season, and was replaced by Matt Cassel, until his triumphant return to football the following season.

The timing of Cincinnati Bengals' quarterback Carson Palmer's ACL tear made it so, so much worse. On his first play, and first pass of the 2006 NFL postseason, he was hit by Pittsburgh's Oelhoffen right after releasing the football, instantly tearing the ligament in his knee. Palmer eventually returned as the Bengals' starter the following season. South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore's future as a football player is still in question, as he's had to work through months of grueling knee rehab not once, but twice. Our site focuses on ACL tears alone, but Lattimore's most recent knee injury was so bad, that is was a complete dislocation of the knee, so bad that only his MCL remained intact after the season ending play against Tennessee. Fortunately (if you can say that), his 2013 knee injury was to a different knee than his 2011 ACL tear. Curt Warner's ACL tear took place in the first game of the 1984 NFL season, when injuries like this were considered potentially career ending, and was able to return to action the following year.

Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles missed almost all of the 2011 season with a torn ACL, but returned stronger than ever for the 2012 season, rushing for more than 1,500 yards.

More

Check out our list of basketball players with torn ACLs and our list of soccer players with torn ACLs.

Check out the Knee Surgery ACL Forum for more information!

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