Bryant Young Undergoes Surgery

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

December 1, 1998 / 6:30 PM EST / CBS Sportsline

San Francisco 49ers star defensive tackle Bryant Young underwent surgery Tuesday after suffering a broken right leg in Monday night's win over the New York Giants and may not be ready for the start of next season.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Michael Dillingham at Stanford Medical Center. Young broke both the tibia and fibula when teammate Ken Norton crashed into him in the fourth quarter of a game already decided.

"It's not a compound fracture, it's a tib-fib fracture," 49ers coach Steve Mariucci said. "The tibia, which is the weight-bearing bone, will need a rod placed in it. The fibula will heal on its own."

Although Young's prognosis will not be known until approximately eight to 10 months of rehabilitation, Mariucci is hopeful Young will be able to play in 1999.

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"Dr. Dillingham shared with me that there's a good possibility B.Y. (Young) will play next season," said Mariucci. "But there are no guarantees. A lot of healing has to take place."

Surgery began earlier than expected at approximately 2:15 p.m. EST after it was tentatively scheduled for 8 p.m. EST.

In a sickening moment that conjured images of a Monday night game 13 years ago, Young's leg twisted at an impossible angle when Norton, his 255-pound teammate, fell directly onto it while both attempted to make a tackle.

Bryant Young done for this season, and next year is still up in the air. (AP)

Players from both teams frantically motioned for the medical staff as Young lay motionless on the field. The scene was chillingly reminiscent of the career-ending injury suffered by Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann when a hit by Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor crushed his leg on a Monday night in November 1985.

After Young was carted off the field to lod applause, San Francisco went on to win in easy fashion, 31-7.

"It's quite a loss," said Mariucci. "It's a similar situation to losing Jerry Rice in our first game last year. But B.Y. has an `S' on his chest. If anyone can recover, B.Y. can. We have to remain optimistic for next season."

The Niners likely will rotate Shane Bonham and Brentson Buckner at Young's left defensive tackle spot. San Francisco visits the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

"You don't replace B.Y. with one guy," said Mariucci. "We need a bunch of guys to all pitch in. Shane Bonham, Brentson Buckner, Gabe Wilkins -- we'll need them all."

Young, who had five tackles before being injured, was in the middle of another stellar season for the Niners (9-3) with 9½ sacks. He was the key cog up front in a unit that ranks seventh in the NFL against the run.

Young was an All-Pro in 1996 before missing four games last year due to a severe ankle sprain. San Francisco made him the seventh overall pick in the 1994 draft and the Notre Dame product made an immediate impact. He started all 16 games, collected six sacks and was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year by UPI.

Young had six sacks in 1995 before blossoming into a dominant pass rusher a season later, collecting career highs with 11½ sacks and 84 tackles. He played in the Pro Bowl but a year later was slowed by ankle and foot injuries.