James Franklin to Have Surgery on Shoulder
Quarterback is Expected Back for 2012 Season
Columbia, Mo. –
University of Missouri junior quarterback James Franklin will undergo
surgery to repair his injured right shoulder, and he will miss the
remainder of spring camp, but is expected to be ready for the beginning
of the 2012 season.
Franklin, who threw for 2,865 yards and 21
touchdowns and ran for 981 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2011 as a
first-year starter, injured his shoulder last Tuesday in practice when
he jumped on a fumble at the end of a play. During the scramble,
a defender landed on his outstretched arm, causing the shoulder injury,
which was diagnosed as a sprained glenohumeral (GH) joint.
Initially,
surgery was not included in the diagnosis, and it was hoped that
Franklin would be able to return prior to the end of spring camp, which
concludes April 14th with the annual Black & Gold Spring
Game. However, after further evaluation, it was decided that
repairing the injury surgically would be in Franklin’s best interests
long-term.
“We’re disappointed for James naturally,” said MU
Head Coach Gary Pinkel. “But this is absolutely the right thing
to do, and we all know he’ll be in great hands, as we have the best
doctors and trainers in the nation. James has an outstanding work
ethic, and he’ll be able to get past this setback just fine. We
expect him to be 100 percent and ready to go for the season.
Until then, our younger guys will benefit from more reps and more work
with the number one offense, and we’ll look at that as a positive,” he
said.
Franklin’s surgery will be performed this Friday and a
timetable for his return to throwing will be determined following the
procedure.
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