By Sheila Dwyer, Knee1 StaffThe Baltimore Ravens have lost running back Jamal Lewis for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.
Lewis, in his second season with the football club, tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee during practice on Wednesday, August 8th. He walked off the field—without a noticeable limp—near the end of morning practice.
Ravens trainer Bill Tessendorf initially diagnosed Lewis with a bruise. But an MRI conducted on Wednesday night confirmed a tear in the ACL, which will require surgery, and a sprained medial collateral ligament.
“This is difficult for Jamal,” Ravens coach Brian Billick said. “He worked so hard to prepare for this season, and he certainly is a very important player for us. As a team, we have to move forward and find other ways to get the production we lose with Jamal’s absence. We will adjust. We have to adjust.”
This is not Lewis’s first encounter with a knee injury. While at the University of Tennessee, he missed a majority of the 1998 season because of surgery on his injured right knee.
Lewis had an impressive rookie season with the Ravens. Despite dislocating his elbow in training camp last season, he was well enough to start in the last 13 games of the regular season. He rushed for 1,364 yards, a team record, and caught 27 passes for 296 yards. He was the fifth overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft.
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