Ball So Hard University won’t have its most famous alum on the field this season.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs tore his Achilles tendon while training in Arizona and is expected to miss the entire 2012 season.
The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year suffered the injury one week after the Ravens took Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw in the NFL draft.
Adam Schefter reports Suggs suffered the injury while playing basketball and will undergo surgery on the tear next week.
Suggs told Ravens Insider that he’ll be back midseason. “I love how you guys are saying ‘out for the season,’” he said. “Just gonna make my comeback that much bigger.”
His absence will leave a huge hole in a Ravens defense that ranked third in the NFL in 2011. The 29-year-old was coming off his best season as a pro. He had 14 sacks and seven forced fumbles in Baltimore’s 12-4 campaign.
The linebacker denied that basketball led to the injury, telling ESPN that he suffered it while doing training exercises. There are reports that the Ravens could have language in Suggs’ contract prohibiting him from some activities, like basketball.
