Indianapolis Colts right tackle Gosder Cherilus sustained a knee injury in 2010 that required him to have the same microfracture surgery that Houston Texans linebacker Jadeveon Clowney recently underwent.
According to Cherilus, that does not bode well for the rookie NFLer's career prospects.
"He's screwed," Cherilus said, per Stephen Holder of IndyStar.com. "His game is all about explosion. That's a problem. I'm out there dancing. I'm an offensive lineman. That's a different ballgame. He's screwed. I'm just being honest."
Cherilus, through intense rehab and a serious commitment, has been able to return to something close to top form, though the initial diagnosis was grim.
"The doctor said, 'I'd be surprised if you ever play again'" Cherilus recalled. "I was like, 'My God.' But I gave it a try. We did rehab for nine straight months. Three to five hours in the morning and then I'd come back and do some more later. Think about that."
He wonders if Clowney, who came into the league with questions about his work ethic and plays almost solely on sheer athletic ability, will be able to do the same.
"He has to be fully, fully committed," Cherilus said. "They told me I would be back in 12 months. I fought and came back in nine months. But it wasn't right. It set me back for another six weeks. You are going to deal with stuff for the rest of your career. Period. You're going to have to learn how to deal with it. And you have to be extremely disciplined. You have to do all the little things."
Microfracture surgery has spelled the end to a number of promising athletic careers across a variety of sports. Cherilus, though the road back was long and winding, was able to add himself to the short list of success stories.
But it wasn't easy.
"You see my leg right here?" Cherilus said. "Imagine putting this on crutches for 10 weeks. You lose everything. The whole leg was numb. I couldn't even walk. We had to teach the leg to do everything all over again: taking off, cutting, everything."
It remains to be seen if Clowney can return to play the sport at its highest level, but if he does, it seems all but certain that he'll have to learn to succeed in a different way than he had become accustomed to in the past.