Rodney McLeod says ACL tear 'crushed' him as he pondered future

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article_body => "Rodney McLeod sat alone in the Eagles\u2019 locker room on Sunday night and pondered his football future as tears rolled down his cheeks.<\/p>\r\n\r\nThe Eagles\u2019 starting safety had played every snap in nearly two years but in the third quarter of Sunday\u2019s win over the Saints he suffered a knee injury. He initially hoped it was just a hyperextension but it was more serious. A torn ACL for the second time in three seasons.<\/p>\r\n\r\nSeason over. Surgery coming. Rehab after.<\/p>\r\n\r\nThe 30-year-old, in that moment, had a million things running through his mind as he spoke to his wife Erika on the phone, relaying all of his fears.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cIt crushed me, man,\u201d McLeod said to his co-host of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iheart.com\/podcast\/1248-the-rodney-mcleod-hour-71563302\/\">The Rodney McLeod Hour,<\/a> Jerrold Colton, on iHeart Radio\u2019s Fox Sports the Gambler on Tuesday night.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cEverything that you put into this game and kind of where we were at this point in our season and what that game meant and how well we were playing at that point. I felt as though I let my teammates down, I let my team down by not being able to finish. And it hurt. Man, tears rolled down my eyes, I had a moment where I just reflected on it all, that game, my career, moving forward.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cWhat is this going to entail for Rodney McLeod moving forward? Do I have the strength to keep pushing forward and to endure everything that I experienced two years ago when I first went through my ACL? All of those thoughts are going through your head and of course your career. You\u2019re at age 30, where does that place you post surgery and how are you going to be valued? What\u2019s the narrative about you now? All these thoughts go through your head and you gotta just pour all of the emotions out. They have to come out.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\nACL surgeries used to end careers but we\u2019ve come a long way since then. These days, we talk about ACL surgeries like going to the bank. But these are involved procedures with lengthy rehabs that test patients mentally as much as physically. There are no guarantees, especially for a player over 30, who hopes to be going into his 10th NFL season in 2021.<\/p>\r\n\r\nAs his teammates were celebrating a 24-21 win they clinched without him, those were the thoughts that entered McLeod\u2019s mind.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cIt was a tough time in that moment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\nBut McLeod added that the text messages, posts and comments he received from friends, family and strangers helped uplift him. It gave him the encouragement he needed to get past that dark place quickly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cI feel confident that I will be able to make a full and healthy recovery, which is encouraging for me,\u201d McLeod said. \u201cI know what it entails and I just have to prepare mentally for this next step.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\nBefore he can have surgery, the swelling in his knee will need to subside. But on Tuesday, McLeod was already back on an exercise bike, making sure to keep his range of motion. He said that will help when he gets to the other side.<\/p>\r\n\r\nThe other side, of course, meaning the other side of surgery. Even with all of the strides in the medical field, recovering from an ACL tear and subsequent surgery is no easy task. A couple years ago, McLeod had to recover from an ACL and MCL surgery, so he knows what he\u2019s in for soon.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cYou really have to take yourself to a whole different place,\u201d McLeod said. \u201cAnd the ACL is a journey. You have to be appreciative of every single milestone that you\u2019re able to conquer because there\u2019s so many. There\u2019s so many ups and downs throughout that rehab process and it will humble you every point, every moment.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\nOn Sunday night, McLeod didn\u2019t initially think the injury was this serious. He felt pain after the non-contact injury but was able to jog off the field. He got checked out on the bench but before he went into the medical tent began to jog on the sideline.<\/p>\r\n\r\nBefore the doctor looked at him, McLeod really thought he was going to get back in that game, perhaps wearing a knee brace. Instead, he faces surgery, rehab and an uncertain future.<\/p>\r\n\r\nThe Eagles re-signed McLeod to a two-year deal this past offseason, so he\u2019s under contract for 2021 with a manageable cap hit of $5.2 million for a good player who is a defensive captain.<\/p>\r\n\r\nJim Schwartz on Tuesday pointed out that in 2018, even after McLeod\u2019s first ACL surgery, McLeod was able to remain an important part of the team as a leader. In fact, it was McLeod who would give the pregame warmup speech to the defensive backs before every game that year. Schwartz expects McLeod to stay involved again.<\/p>\r\n\r\nThat\u2019s why it shouldn\u2019t be too surprising that McLeod still went to his charity event on Monday night and showed up for his radio show on Tuesday. He had his dark moment already. Now it\u2019s about what\u2019s next.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\u201cOne of my best friends told me, \u2018the story ends how you want it to\u2019 and I really took that to heart,\u201d McLeod said. \u201cI have full control of this, it\u2019s all in my hands, ball\u2019s in my court. You make it what you want. I\u2019m a fighter, man, I\u2019m a warrior and that\u2019s what I\u2019m gonna do. That\u2019s what it\u2019s going to take for me to come back and get back to the level where I left off.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\nSubscribe to the Eagle Eye podcast:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/id1376641140?mt=2\">Apple Podcasts<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/music\/listen?u=0#\/ps\/Irihfctcpfeh635rf5ii7m25jzm\">Google Play<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/7efTly7UOHBSf8PKhqUmYC\">Spotify<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stitcher.com\/s?fid=183796&refid=stpr\">Stitcher<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/eagle-eye-philadelphia-eagles\">Art19<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCXenWaHGZz4Ey4BObUUIyZQ\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n<drupal-url data-embed-button=\"url\" data-embed-url=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/eagle-eye-philadelphia-eagles\/episodes\/926c13f5-c7c4-4616-936e-df46f4ac2c46\" data-entity-label=\"Embed social\" data-timestamp=\"1608144170\" data-url-provider=\"ART19\"><\/drupal-url>\r\n"
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Eagles

/ by Dave Zangaro

Eagles

Rodney McLeod sat alone in the Eagles’ locker room on Sunday night and pondered his football future as tears rolled down his cheeks.

The Eagles’ starting safety had played every snap in nearly two years but in the third quarter of Sunday’s win over the Saints he suffered a knee injury. He initially hoped it was just a hyperextension but it was more serious. A torn ACL for the second time in three seasons.

Season over. Surgery coming. Rehab after.

The 30-year-old, in that moment, had a million things running through his mind as he spoke to his wife Erika on the phone, relaying all of his fears.

“It crushed me, man,” McLeod said to his co-host of The Rodney McLeod Hour, Jerrold Colton, on iHeart Radio’s Fox Sports the Gambler on Tuesday night.

“Everything that you put into this game and kind of where we were at this point in our season and what that game meant and how well we were playing at that point. I felt as though I let my teammates down, I let my team down by not being able to finish. And it hurt. Man, tears rolled down my eyes, I had a moment where I just reflected on it all, that game, my career, moving forward.

“What is this going to entail for Rodney McLeod moving forward? Do I have the strength to keep pushing forward and to endure everything that I experienced two years ago when I first went through my ACL? All of those thoughts are going through your head and of course your career. You’re at age 30, where does that place you post surgery and how are you going to be valued? What’s the narrative about you now? All these thoughts go through your head and you gotta just pour all of the emotions out. They have to come out.”

ACL surgeries used to end careers but we’ve come a long way since then. These days, we talk about ACL surgeries like going to the bank. But these are involved procedures with lengthy rehabs that test patients mentally as much as physically. There are no guarantees, especially for a player over 30, who hopes to be going into his 10th NFL season in 2021.

As his teammates were celebrating a 24-21 win they clinched without him, those were the thoughts that entered McLeod’s mind.

“It was a tough time in that moment,” he said.

But McLeod added that the text messages, posts and comments he received from friends, family and strangers helped uplift him. It gave him the encouragement he needed to get past that dark place quickly.

“I feel confident that I will be able to make a full and healthy recovery, which is encouraging for me,” McLeod said. “I know what it entails and I just have to prepare mentally for this next step.”

Before he can have surgery, the swelling in his knee will need to subside. But on Tuesday, McLeod was already back on an exercise bike, making sure to keep his range of motion. He said that will help when he gets to the other side.

The other side, of course, meaning the other side of surgery. Even with all of the strides in the medical field, recovering from an ACL tear and subsequent surgery is no easy task. A couple years ago, McLeod had to recover from an ACL and MCL surgery, so he knows what he’s in for soon.

“You really have to take yourself to a whole different place,” McLeod said. “And the ACL is a journey. You have to be appreciative of every single milestone that you’re able to conquer because there’s so many. There’s so many ups and downs throughout that rehab process and it will humble you every point, every moment.”

On Sunday night, McLeod didn’t initially think the injury was this serious. He felt pain after the non-contact injury but was able to jog off the field. He got checked out on the bench but before he went into the medical tent began to jog on the sideline.

Before the doctor looked at him, McLeod really thought he was going to get back in that game, perhaps wearing a knee brace. Instead, he faces surgery, rehab and an uncertain future.

The Eagles re-signed McLeod to a two-year deal this past offseason, so he’s under contract for 2021 with a manageable cap hit of $5.2 million for a good player who is a defensive captain.

Jim Schwartz on Tuesday pointed out that in 2018, even after McLeod’s first ACL surgery, McLeod was able to remain an important part of the team as a leader. In fact, it was McLeod who would give the pregame warmup speech to the defensive backs before every game that year. Schwartz expects McLeod to stay involved again.

That’s why it shouldn’t be too surprising that McLeod still went to his charity event on Monday night and showed up for his radio show on Tuesday. He had his dark moment already. Now it’s about what’s next.

“One of my best friends told me, ‘the story ends how you want it to’ and I really took that to heart,” McLeod said. “I have full control of this, it’s all in my hands, ball’s in my court. You make it what you want. I’m a fighter, man, I’m a warrior and that’s what I’m gonna do. That’s what it’s going to take for me to come back and get back to the level where I left off.”

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