August 26, 2009

I got my MRI results the other day and the doctors said it was an MCL sprain, no surgery required. Now I just have to deal with this and keep moving forward.

I’m going to attack it like I attack everything else in my life.

All my life I’ve healed fast and I don’t see why this time should be any different. I expect a speedy recovery. I think it starts in your mind; if you believe it in your mind, your body will follow. I think the guys who feel sorry for themselves take longer to come back from injury than the guys who are willing to do what it takes, listen to the medical staff and attack the rehab.

I hate being injured just because at the end of the day I think being a good player means being durable. There have been a lot of potentially great athletes who can’t stay healthy, and if you can’t stay healthy no one cares how good you are. It kind of sucks when freak things happen but injuries are a part of the game if you play long enough.

Basically, it was one of those freak things, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I got leg whipped and hit right on the outside of the knee. I knew exactly what it was, I realized it was an MCL because I hurt it in college. I played the rest of that series, maybe four plays, then came to the sideline and told them that I was pretty sure I had injured my knee.

I’m feeling a lot better by the day, I’m encouraged by how I feel right now. For me it’s all about getting back on the field. The crazy part is, even though Week 1 isn’t the Super Bowl, or the playoffs, of a game for the division title, I want to play, and I’d be willing to suck it up.

But this is a long season, and I have to make sure I’m healthy for the long haul.

Carolina Panthers All-Pro middle linebacker Jon Beason writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter @jonbeason.