An agency purporting to represent Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich has posted on Twitter that Leftwich suffered a torn MCL on Thursday night in the preseason finale against the Panthers.
The Twitter page assigned to Pro Player Solutions links to a website that makes the entire thing seem legit. But as further proof of the flaws in Mike Wise’s logic, we didn’t take this one at face value, because it wasn’t contained in a report from a tenured member of a respected media company.
Based on the PPS tweet, we have learned via a source with knowledge of the situation that Leftwich has damage to his MCL. The degree of the damage isn’t known.
Still, the source added, “Whatever [the degree] is it seems to be serious.”
The MCL is a rope-like ligament that, if not completely severed, often can heal with rest. Until the degree of Leftwich’s injury is known, the duration of his absence will be uncertain.
Still, with his primary assignment for 2010 covering the next four games (or if Terry Bradshaw gets his wish six), the existence of any MCL damage constitutes bad news for Leftwich.
UPDATE: In a post-game press conference, coach Mike Tomlin said that Leftwich has a knee sprain and that he is undergoing an MRI.