Star cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks, Richard Sherman, appears to be attempting to dodge surgery for the time being.
After suffering an injury to his elbow during the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers, and playing with that injury in the eventual loss to the New England Patriots in Superbowl XLIX, all signs pointed to Sherman requiring surgery.
While no specifics as to the exact injury have been released, it looked as though the shut down corner would have to undergo Tommy John Surgery in the offseason to repair the damage to his elbow.
Tommy John surgery is a medical procedure typically reserved and associated with pitchers in Major League Baseball who have torn, or likewise severely injured, their Ulnar Collateral Ligament. The recovery time following the surgery is usually around a year for any MLB pitcher that has to undergo the surgery.
While the recovery time from the procedure would likely be less for Sherman, as he doesn’t place the same kind of pressure on his elbow that an MLB pitcher does, there is still some hesitation on his part as to whether he even wants to undergo the procedure.
Seattle head coach Pete Carroll had this to say during a radio interview on Tuesday, “He’s not a pitcher, and he’s not a left-hander. Sherm might not have to have that kind of surgery,” he said. “If he was a thrower he would.”
As it stands right now, Sherman will not be undergoing Tommy John surgery and the team and staff are going to continue to evaluate the situation to ensure that the injury doesn’t worsen, and to ensure that Sherman gets surgery as soon as possible if it becomes necessary.
The Seahawks obviously want to have Sherman miss as little time as possible, as he is the linchpin of Seattle’s fearsome secondary, known as the Legion of Boom.