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MRI confirms torn Achilles for Chargers' Manti Te'o

Fourth-year linebacker Manti Te’o will miss the rest of the season for the San Diego Chargers after a Monday morning MRI confirmed the worst fears: he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in his left leg in the first half of Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

For the Chargers, it’s the third time in as many weeks they’ve lost a key contributor to a major injury: in Week 1, it was receiver Keenan Allen who tore his ACL; in Week 2, it was Danny Woodhead suffering a torn ACL as well, and now Te’o.

Manti Te'o (AP)
Manti Te’o suffered a season-ending injury in a loss against the Colts on Sunday. (AP)

For Te’o, it marks the end of an important season: this is the fourth and final year of his rookie contract (he was a second-round pick out of Notre Dame in 2013), and despite injuries every year (he missed at least three games a year in his first three seasons), he had become not just a starter, but a leader, voted a defensive captain by his teammates this season.

Te’o told reporters he felt a pop as he planted his foot in coverage during the first quarter of the game; even hours before the MRI results came in, he was speaking as though he knew his season was over.

“It was just a big, big year for me,” Te’o said. “I worked extremely hard to give myself a chance. Freak accidents like this, you can’t predict stuff like that. It’s all about moving forward.

“I had so many big dreams for my team. Just because I am down does not mean that it is over, but I just wish I could be right there with them. I am still going to be there just like I was in the second half, but I am not going to be out there with them, and that is the thing that hurts the most. It is where I am most comfortable. It is where I have the most fun.”

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