Green Bay - Defensive end Jerel Worthy has undergone reconstructive knee surgery and will have to overcome long odds to play for the Green Bay Packers in the 2013 season.
Worthy, the team's second-round draft choice last year from Michigan State, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament Dec. 30 in Minnesota and had surgery on Jan. 15.
The operation was performed by well-known surgeon James Andrews at the Andrews Institute in Pensacola, Fla., according to a source.
Worthy, 22, injured his left knee on the fifth-to-last play of the regular season. He collapsed on a pass rush after barely being touched by tackle Phil Loadholt.
Two days before his surgery, Worthy described the injury as just a severe bruise.
Worthy's hopes to play next season should be helped by the fact that he has never suffered a major injury before. But generally, it takes longer for a 300-pound lineman to come back from an ACL than a smaller player.
The last defensive lineman in Green Bay to blow out his ACL was oft-injured Justin Harrell. After his surgery in September 2010, he never played in the NFL again.
Linebacker Aaron Kampman underwent ACL surgery in December 2009 and then was ready to play for Jacksonville at the start of the '10 season.
Tackle Mark Tauscher underwent surgery Jan. 15, 2009, to repair the same ACL that he had torn in 2002. He was back on the 53-man roster in mid-October that year.
A year ago, tight end Andrew Quarless underwent ACL surgery Jan. 9 and never made it back onto the roster.
Worthy ranked fourth among the Packers' six defensive linemen in pressures per snap and sixth in tackles per snap. In 443 snaps, the third highest total on the unit, he had six pressures and 23 tackles.