In an essay wrote on his personal website, Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles explained the injury that cost him another season and declared he is all-in on continuing his NFL career.
According to Charles, he tore his meniscus while doing drills after practice in late October. He tried to play through the originally mysterious injury, but after struggling through the issue during a game against the New Orleans Saints, Charles sought outside help from Dr. James Andrews—who finally discovered the tear in his meniscus.
The Chiefs placed him on season-ending injured reserve after Andrews operated on Charles’ knee.
Despite the set back, Charles wants to keep playing.
“What I do know is that I still want to play football,” Charles said. “I was only 29 years old this season. My goal right now is to just focus on the now and my rehab and let the rest sort itself out later.”
Charles rushed for just 40 yards and one touchdown over three games in 2016. He has missed 24 games due to knee injuries over the last two seasons.
His future in Kansas City could be murky. Charles is owed $7 million in base salary and bonuses in 2017, and the Chiefs could save all $7 million—without a cap hit—by releasing him before the season. It’s possible the two sides could agree to some kind of restructuring to keep Charles in Kansas City.
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