Dr. Robert Marx, sports medicine surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, said based on reports that Adrian Peterson has what is known as a "bucket handle" tear of his meniscus, he is likely six months away from a full recovery — meaning Peterson wouldn't play again this season.
To be clear, Marx is not treating Peterson but has performed numerous similar surgeries in the past.
"It's season-ending, I think it's very safe to say," Marx said, though he later couched it a bit by saying it could be possible for Peterson to return very late in the season if he is a fast healer — which Peterson has already proven to be after his ACL tear — and is willing to assume some risk.
But Marx added: "If you're going to go through the trouble of repairing it, it wouldn't make any sense to play at four months. He may be ready. Whether it's a smart idea or not is another story."
Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.
