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Chad Pennington Tears ACL Playing Basketball

You might think that the lockout would keep players relatively safe from injury; unfortunately, that's not the case for one famously-susceptible quarterback. Chad Pennington apparently tore his ACL playing basketball recently, an injury that should keep him out for the 2011 season.

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46 comments, Last at 11 Apr 2011, 10:18am

7 Re: Chad Pennington Tears ACL Playing Basketball

by Jimmy // Mar 31, 2011 - 3:41pm

I would seriously urge this guy to take up a different hobby, something less physically exerting like whittling or flower arranging. Maybe poetry, has anybody ever injured themselves doing poetry?

8 Re: Chad Pennington Tears ACL Playing Basketball

by are-tee // Mar 31, 2011 - 4:16pm

Pennington once described himself as "injury-plagued, not injury-prone". I can't comment on the science behind this, but I wonder if some people are just more susceptible to injuries of various kinds (and not due to being out-of-shape). Aside from his multiple shoulder injuries, he's had a broken wrist and now the knee injury. From what I know, he did not have a history of injury before the broken wrist he suffered in 2003, three years into his NFL career.

32 Re: Chad Pennington Tears ACL Playing Basketball

yeah some guys are just always hurt. You see it in soccer too.
Some people just don't know how to run and tear their muscles (Arjen Robben is out every other month with a torn muscle). Some people aren't built for football and have 'construction' injuries like Pennington, the guy just tears his ligaments every other year.
It's also a mental thing really. If someone is afraid to get hurt, he will just because he will fall and run differently. I urge every football player to take judo and jiu-jitsu lessons just to learn how to fall and how to take a hit.

13 Re: Chad Pennington Tears ACL Playing Basketball

by Spielman // Mar 31, 2011 - 4:29pm

Kinda makes me think his body is just telling him (very loudly) that it's time to retire.

Of course, I thought the same thing about Kurt Warner in 2006, so what the hell do I know?

22 Re: Chad Pennington Tears ACL Playing Basketball

Tony Sparano:
Well, boys ... I haven't a thing to say.
Played a great game...all of you. Great game.

I guess we just can't expect to win ‘em all.

I'm going to tell you something I've kept to myself for years --
None of you ever knew Chad Pennington as a starting quarterback.
It was long before your time.
But you know what a tradition he is on the Injured Reserve...

And the last thing he said to me -- "Spar," he said -
"sometime, when the team is up against it -- and the
breaks are beating the boys -- tell them to go out there
with all they got and win just one for the Lepper...

I don't know where I'll be then, Spar", he said - "but
I'll know about it - and I'll be happy."

Brandon:
Well, what are we waiting for? (players rush through door and go on to win)

25 Re: Chad Pennington Tears ACL Playing Basketball

by cisforcookie (not verified) // Mar 31, 2011 - 11:00pm

i wonder whether avoiding injury is really the uncommon thing while suffering serious injuries is to be expected. even peyton manning and tom brady have each had knee issues, multiple knee issues for manning, plus brady's infamous shoulder issues. and they're famous iron-men.

philip rivers tore his acl a few years ago.
donovan mcnabb is perpetually injured.
matt schaub is always an injury waiting to happen.
michael vick has suffered several major injuries
the list goes on

brett favre is famous for his streak, but that's because he just kept playing in spite of broken bones and soft tissue injuries that didn't entirely stop his right arm from going forward.

35 Re: Chad Pennington Tears ACL Playing Basketball

by Temo // Apr 01, 2011 - 12:26pm

I have to say, I've played a little tackle football (with and without pads) and tons of pick-up basketball. I think my injury rate in pick-up basketball in terms of stuff that makes me miss playing time was way higher.

Basketball is just a sport that pounds your body way more than you realize. Plus all the jumping and banging into people results in a lot of random injuries.

36 Re: Chad Pennington Tears ACL Playing Basketball

I don't know who you play with or what positions you've played. But playing runningback and linebacker are the hardest positions I've played.
We (the football team) played basketball in the offseason and that hurt no one; and playing with football players changed the rules a bit...
Tackling and getting tackled with pads is the hardest thing I can imagine to be honest. It's full speed vs full speed.

37 Re: Chad Pennington Tears ACL Playing Basketball

WR and ST. Barely got hit except in tackling drills during practice.

Play pick-up tackle football without pads all the time, as long as there's no psychos playing you're ok.

I'm definitely more sore on average after football. But it's mostly bruises and cuts, stuff that heals quickly.

Playing basketball I just find that I twist ankles and knees and jam fingers a lot. Even once got a really hard crotch shot that required a hospital visit. Not to mention the eye pokes. Those are the worst, I always feel like someone just gouged my eyeball out (usually it's not nearly as bad as it feels). And it just happens all.the.time.

There's a reason a ton of baseball players that have specific contractual stipulations that they not play pick-up basketball during the offseason. I know Zach Grienke DIDN'T have that clause, and he's on the DL now with a broken rib because of basketball.

45 Re: Chad Pennington Tears ACL Playing Basketball

"Playing basketball I just find that I twist ankles and knees and jam fingers a lot. Even once got a really hard crotch shot that required a hospital visit. Not to mention the eye pokes. Those are the worst, I always feel like someone just gouged my eyeball out (usually it's not nearly as bad as it feels). And it just happens all.the.time."

Wow. Have you ever tried playing basketball with anyone other than a bunch of rabid wolverines?