Whenever you see the Kansas City Chiefs trotting out Rick Burkholder to the media, you know something is wrong. He’s the Chiefs trainer and comes out to speak to the media on injuries, usually only serious injuries. That is unfortunately the case here as Burkholder was coming out to confirm the Achilles tendon rupture for Eric Berry and give a little information on what’s next.
Two takeaways here. First, you might remember that Berry had some heel soreness during training camp this year that caused him to miss time. The ruptured Achilles tendon is not that one ... it’s the other one.
“As you guys know,” Burkholder told the media on Monday, “Eric Berry ruptured his left Achilles Tendon Thursday night in the ballgame against New England. Many assume it’s the same Achilles Tendon that he was struggling with in training camp, but it is not. He missed some time in training camp with his right Achilles Tendon, so it’s the opposite side.”
The other takeaway is that Berry is going to the same doctor who did Derrick Johnson’s Achilles tendon surgeries in 2014 and late 2016.
“He’s on his way to Green Bay, Wisconsin, right now to see Dr. Bob Anderson, the same surgeon that operated on both of Derrick Johnson’s Achilles Tendons,” Burkholder said. “Bob Anderson is the Head of the Foot and Ankle committee in the NFL and is respected as the best foot and ankle surgeon in the country.
Burkholder called it a six-month process but either way Berry is done for the 2017 season. He says they’ve already started the rehab process.
“I mean he overcame cancer, so this is probably a little bit lower,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “He’s fought for his life before. Is he disappointed? Absolutely, big time disappointed, but at the same time he understands he’ll have another opportunity to play.”