season-ending injury

Miami Dolphins star receiver Tyreek Hill suffered a potentially season-ending injury after making a sideline catch during his team’s 27-21 win over the New York Jets on “Monday Night Football.”

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said after the game that Hill had dislocated his left knee and would remain hospitalized overnight for further testing.

Multiple media outlets are reporting that Hill tore multiple ligaments in the knee, including his ACL, and will undergo reconstructive surgery Tuesday.

Hill suffered the injury early in the third quarter when he caught a 10-yard pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa going out of bounds and was tackled by Jets rookie Malachi Moore. Hill’s knee was badly twisted and an air cast was placed over his leg.

The eight-time Pro Bowl selection remained upbeat in the immediate aftermath of the injury, joking around with teammates and smiling and gesturing to the Miami crowd as he was carted off the field.

“He was probably in the best spirits of any player that I’ve ever seen [have] such a terrible experience,” McDaniel said. “He immediately had wide eyes and was talking, ‘I’m good, just make sure the guys get this win.’ He was focused on the team.”

In an interview from the hospital Monday night, agent Drew Rosenhaus told WSVN-TV in Miami that his client’s spirits remained high as he waited to undergo an MRI exam and CT scan to help determine the extent of the injury.

“I can’t tell you how impressed I am with his mental toughness, with his uplifting attitude,” Rosenhaus said. “He’s keeping a smile on his face, telling myself and his parents who are with me that he’s blessed to be in the position that he’s in. He was watching the game. He was cheering for his teammates. He was rooting the team on. He’s handling a very tough situation the very best that you can.”

Dolphins offensive lineman Terron Armstead had a similar update about the speedy receiver nicknamed “Cheetah” on Monday night.

“I just got a FaceTime call from my brother @cheetah,” Armstead wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “First thing he said ‘man I’m just happy we got that win’!! He’s in good spirits and said he was laughing through the pain, to avoid passing out!! crazy! Praying for best news possible and speedy recovery!”

Hill spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs, winning Super Bowl LIV with them after the 2019 season. After being traded to the Dolphins during the 2022 offseason, Hill finished second in the NFL with 1,710 receiving yards that season, then led the league with 1,799 receiving yards and 13 touchdown catches in 2023.

“Prayers up man…..,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes wrote on X shortly after Hill’s injury.

Sophomore running back Arman Papazyan was supposed to be the backup to his brother, Gev, this season at Glendale High. Then Gev went down with a season-ending injury. Little brother Arman came to the rescue.

He had 215 yards rushing in 32 carries in a loss to Marshall. He has continued to be a productive offensive weapon for 1-2 Glendale. He has 349 yards and five touchdowns in three games.

“He’s been carrying the load,” coach Manuel Lemus said. …

Several football teams are enjoying turnaround seasons. Westlake has gone from 0-10 to 4-0. Bellflower is 3-0 after going 0-10. L.A. University is 4-0 after going 2-9 last season, while L.A. Marshall and Norco are 4-0 after finishing 3-7 last season. …

Banning improved to 4-0 on Friday night with a 21-20 win over Garfield in which the Pilots stopped a two-point conversion attempt to win. Mauricio Ortiz Jr. made the game-saving tackle.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham doesn’t believe a dirty play led to her season-ending knee injury, and she wants everyone to stop accusing Connecticut Sun guard Bria Hartley of intentionally hurting her.

That includes Cunningham’s own mother.

Cunningham addressed the matter on an episode of her “Show Me Something” podcast that dropped Tuesday. It’s the same day the Fever announced that Cunningham will miss the remainder of the season after getting injured during Sunday’s game in Connecticut.

Hartley was driving toward the basket during the second quarter when she lost balance and collided with Cunningham on her way to the floor. Cunningham immediately grabbed her right leg in pain and was eventually helped off the court.

The seven-year WNBA veteran told co-host West Wilson that she tore the MCL in her right knee and surgery is scheduled on Friday. She also said that she has no hard feelings toward Hartley and does not blame her for the season-ending injury.

“I know Bria, and I’m actually really good friends with Bria,” Cunningham said. “… There was no ill intent. I think it was basketball play. I was just in the wrong spot at the wrong time. She fell — like there’s no way that she would go in there and potentially try to hurt me. So yeah, I have nothing but love for Bria.”

Among those who have questioned Hartley’s intentions is Cunningham’s mother, Paula, who reportedly wrote on a now-deleted X (formerly Twitter) post that Hartley is a “disgruntled player” who is “plain mean and plays out of control.”

Cunningham said she set her mother straight .

“I was like, ‘No, Mom, I get it, but I promise you, Bria and I are super cool,’” Cunningham said. “‘She would never try to hurt me, because there are some girls that I think might, but she wouldn’t do that.’ So I have nothing but love. And I hope people stop giving Bria some heat, because I don’t think she meant to do that at all.”

Cunningham also addressed a photo, taken by David Butler II for Imagn Images, from immediately after the injury occurred that some think shows Hartley smiling while Cunningham is holding her leg in agony.

“I think that smile, it wasn’t like a — it was like an ‘ooh’, you know, like, one of those,” Cunningham said, making a grimace. “So I’m totally fine” with Hartley.

In June, Cunningham sparked a scuffle between Fever and Sun players when she took down then-Connecticut player Jacy Sheldon, who was making a break toward the basket late in the game with Indiana leading by 17. Sheldon has since been traded to the Washington Mystics. Some have viewed Cunningham’s move as payback after Sheldon poked Fever superstar Caitlin Clark in the eye during a play earlier in the game.

The Fever have struggled with injuries this season. Clark hasn’t played in more than a month because of a groin injury, and guards Sydney Colson (ACL) and Aari McDonald (broken foot) saw their seasons come to a premature end because of injuries during an Aug. 7 game at Phoenix.