Indianapolis Colts’ star defensive end Dwight Freeney sustained a game injury from the Colts’ conference championship victory over the New York Jets. 5 days before the Super Bowl, Freeney remains on the injured report list for a torn ligament in his right ankle. Freeney begun immediate treatment for the game injury after the AFC title win. Freeney arrived in South Florida early for “intense treatments designed to heal his ankle as quickly as possible,” reports ESPN.
While Freeney’s status remains questionable, he would not the first star to sustain a game injury during a conference title match up and return speedily for a Super Bowl victory. During last year’s 2008-2009 season, Hines Ward acquired a game injury versus the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC title. Ward was questionable to return in time for the Super Bowl against the Arizona Cardinals. Ward’s sprained right knee was treated with Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, which he credited for his expedited return.
New York Giants Chris Canty underwent the PRP procedure earlier this season. In an ESPN article about Canty’s treatment, Dr. Victor Khabie , co-chief of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y said of Ward’s treatment “…Hines Ward injured his medial collateral ligament in his knee several weeks before the Super Bowl and wasn’t healing,” Khabie said. “He had this injection done I believe a few weeks before the Super Bowl and reports and in interviews with him, he said it was the reason he was able to play in the Super Bowl.”
Ward made two big catches in the Superbowl and the Steelers eventually beat the Cardinals. Based on the success of Ward’s therapy under comparable circumstances, it is likely Freeney will undergo a similar treatment model. Based on last year’s Super Bowl, if Freeney does suit up against the New Orleans Saints, it may prove a bad omen for the Saints’ explosive offense and their first Super Bowl appearance.
