Penn State was already on the receiving end of some negative injury news on the offensive side of the ball earlier Friday. Now, it’s the defense’s turn to take an apparent hit.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that defensive end Pete Massaro suffered what two sources described as a significant knee injury during a late-Friday workout. The injury could be serious enough that it puts the redshirt junior’s availability for the 2011 season in jeopardy.
Subsequent to that, Massaro’s father confirmed to PSU’s student newspaper that his son had suffered an injury to his left knee. Peter Massaro told the Daily Collegian that, while his son is able to walk around without crutches, further testing on Saturday will determine the extent of the injury.
“He just told us that he sort of got his foot caught in the turf and had some pain,” Massaro said. “He said he’s walking on it and not in as much pain as when he hurt his last knee. But they are being cautious with it until they do the MRI and we’re hoping for the best.”
Massaro missed the entire 2009 season due to a torn ACL in his right knee.
Last season, Massaro started 10 of the 13 games in which he played, leading the team with 5.5 tackles for loss and finishing second with 3.5 sacks.