Redskins' bad luck continues: Derrius Guice needed multiple procedures after ACL tear

·NFL writer

13 December 2018 at 12:09 pm

The Washington Redskins might need to take a look at some of their medical practices.

For the second time this month, a story broke that one of their key players dealt with infection after leg surgery. Quarterback Alex Smith needed multiple procedures due to infections from surgery for a broken leg. His NFL future is in doubt.

Then on Thursday, the Washington Post reported that running back Derrius Guice needed three additional operations after tearing his ACL in the preseason. He needed the extra procedures due to … infection.

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That’s either horrible bad luck or something the Redskins need to look into.

Washington Redskins running back Derrius Guice had some setbacks after ACL surgery. (AP)

Derrius Guice had two months of setbacks

Guice was an intriguing player for this season. He was a second-round pick out of LSU, and probably should have gone in the first round if not for some nebulous criticisms of him off the field. Then in a preseason game against the Patriots, he suffered a torn ACL on a nice run.

In most normal circumstances, a torn ACL in August at least allows a player to be back on the field for the following season with no issues. But his post-surgery recovery wasn’t smooth.

The Post’s Kareem Copeland wrote that Guice had “significant setbacks.” He developed an infection after surgery and that lasted two months. He had three more procedures on the infected tissue, Copeland wrote. He had seven weeks of heavy rounds of antibiotics. Copeland wrote “an orange, cloudy fluid needed to be drained from the joint.”

Guice couldn’t even be at the team’s facility, due to the infection. Guice stayed in Louisiana so he could be driving distance from Gulf Breeze, Fla., where famed orthopedic surgeon James Andrews is located. Andrews, was sued earlier this year by former Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd over a surgery that ended Floyd’s career, performed the initial surgery on Guice according to the Post.

Guice said he thinks he is past the infection, though he told Copeland there’s no specific timetable for his full recovery.

Guice hopeful to be ready for OTAs

Guice told Copeland he hopes to be ready for the team’s organized team activities in early summer. That would be great news for Guice and the Redskins.

But a two-month setback is not ideal. It sounds like he went through a rough time right after surgery. Hopefully he is truly past it, fully healthy and has no lingering effects when he gets back on the practice field. Guice still should have a long career ahead of him.

In the meantime, the Redskins can hope they’re finished with this type of story.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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