The young and rebuilding Carolina Panthers are expected to be without one of their veteran leaders for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
Panthers head coach Frank Reich told reporters that linebacker Shaq Thompson suffered a fractured fibula in Monday's loss to the New Orleans Saints. Reich said the 29-year-old linebacker had surgery on Tuesday morning and "will likely miss the rest of the season."
Thompson was injured late in the first quarter when Saints offensive lineman Trevor Penning and Panthers defensive lineman DeShawn Williams were engaged in a block and rolled up on the back of Thompson's right leg as he was trying to make a tackle.
Thompson, in his ninth season with the Panthers, is one of the team's emotional leaders. Before he was helped onto the cart, the entire Panthers bench ran on the field to wish Thompson well.
The second-longest tenured player on Carolina's roster, Thompson had a career-high 135 tackles last season. He became only the fifth player in franchise history to amass at least 100 tackles in four consecutive seasons.
— With files from the Associated Press
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