Texans linebacker Brian Cushing will have surgery in Pensacola, Fla., on Thursday to repair his season-ending left knee injury.
Cushing will have the surgery with Dr. James Andrews, the renowned orthopedic surgeon who specializes in knee, elbow and shoulder injuries.
By getting surgery during the Texans' bye week, Cushing will avoid missing any practices or games. He has been with the team every day since his injury, embracing the chance to help however he can from the sideline.
Cushing tore his anterior cruciate ligament on Oct. 8 against the New York Jets. He was injured on a peel-back block by Jets guard Matt Slauson, who was later fined $10,000 by the NFL. The Texans placed him on injured reserve two days later.
Now that the swelling in Cushing's knee has subsided, he will have the surgery so that he can begin to rehab for next season. Cushing, 25, has vowed to return "better than ever."
A team captain, Cushing led the Texans' defense with 29 tackles at the time of his injury. He was voted by his teammates as the Texans' most valuable player in 2011 and was a Pro Bowler and the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2009.
"He'll get well," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said on Oct. 9. "He'll get fixed; he'll get well. Brian's got a brilliant future ahead of him, and the worker he is, he'll probably get that done pretty quick."
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