Coach: Johnny Knox future "bright" after surgery
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Chicago Bears receiver Johnny Knox will miss the rest of the season after undergoing back surgery Monday.
Coach Lovie Smith confirmed that Knox would not play again this year. He was taken from the field on a cart early in Sunday's blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Smith says the surgery to stabilize a vetebra in his lower to mid back started Monday morning and was not finished as of midday.
The Chicago Tribune later reported it was a cracked facet joint, which helps keep the spinal column stable. The newspaper cited a source that said Knox would be fully healed in three to four months.
"He's out, of course, this year," Smith said. "But just looking to the future, it looks bright for him to play and to get back out there. So we're encouraged by that."
After Knox caught a pass, Kam Chancellor poked the ball out of his hands, and as Knox made a diving attempt to retrieve it, he was hit by Anthony Hargrove and bent backward. Smith says it was "an unfortunate play" but not a dirty one.
Knox was eventually placed on a stretcher and taken from the field on a cart, putting his hands over his face and wiggling his fingers as he left the field.