Photo by The Associated Press.
Anthony Spencer, a key defensive end for the Dallas Cowboys, will miss the remainder of the season following upcoming surgery .
“It’s a real setback,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on his radio show on KRLD-FM.
Spencer has had trouble with his knee. He underwent surgery July 25 and has practiced fewer than five times and played only in Week 2 at Kansas City.
After the Chiefs game, Spencer said the knee was sore, but chalked it up to his 34 plays after a lack of activity. But treatment did not help.
Spencer said he did not need microfracture surgery last week, despite ligament damage in his knee. He said he was frustrated that his health wasn’t improving.
“I have, like, soft cartilage on the inner side of my knee that’s causing [the pain],” said Spencer, who will be a free agent after this season. “It’s not stopping the banging of the bone. It’s going to take a little bit more time to heal, and we really don’t have time right now.”
The Cowboys franchised Spencer, costing them $10.6 million, instead of allowing him to test the free-agent market in the offseason. He had a career-high 11 sacks last season.
“Now here is a case of a guy that you almost have to tie him up to keep him off the field,” Jones said. “You got to tie him up to [stop him from] taking the snaps. He was so diligent in his rehab and so focused on his rehab and the guy, the individual, I have the most empathy for is Spencer, because of the type of person that he is.”
