By Bob Condotta
The Seattle Times
SEATTLE —Seahawks linebacker Mychal Kendricks is out for the season after breaking his tibia against the Vikings on Monday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday morning, citing unnamed sources. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll confirmed the news in his press conference Wednesday afternoon saying Kendricks also has a knee injury that will require surgery.
Carroll said Kendricks will need 6-8 weeks to recover and will go on injured reserve, which will end his season. Carroll said Kendricks was injured early in Monday’s 21-7 win over the Vikings but played through it.
It’s a particularly tough blow for Kendricks because the Vikings game was his first game back after serving an eight-game NFL suspension for insider trading.
Kendricks, 28, pleaded guilty to insider trading earlier this fall, and he is facing a possible prison term of 30 to 37 months, but is expected to be sentenced no earlier then January. Until then, upon completion of his NFL suspension, he was eligible to play.
The 5-foot-11, 240-pound veteran started at weakside linebacker for the Seahawks against the Vikings and played 44 defensive snaps, recording five tackles. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said on his radio show on 710 ESPN Tuesday morning that Kendricks played through a knee injury that occurred during the game.
“I don’t know how he is today but he hurt his knee in the game and I noticed him making it, he did not want to come out; he fought it the whole way. He was not full speed but he was going and he battled through it,” Carroll said on Tuesday. “He’s a really good ballplayer. I don’t know if he’s going to be well this week or not, it was unfortunate it happened. But in the heat of the battle he was not gonna give up.”
With Kendricks out and K.J. Wright’s status still out, the Seahawks will likely go to Austin Calitro to fill the weakside linebacker spot for this weekend’s game against the 49ers. A second-year player out of Villanova, Calitro started and finished second on the team with 10 tackles and two tackles for loss in the Seahawks’ 43-16 win over San Francisco less than two weeks ago. The 6-0, 240-pound linebacker has made 36 tackles and started four games this season.
Carroll said Wright went through Wednesday’s walk-through but won’t play Sunday against the 49ers.
