Following up on a report from Adam Jude of the Oregonian that first appeared Saturday night, Oregon senior safety John Boyett has confirmed that he will miss the season with knee surgery.
“I’ve had a lingering injury that I played through all last year,” Boyett said in a statement through the Napa Valley Register. “The hope was, through different treatments and certain types of rehab during this past offseason, they would heal up and I’d be ready to go for my senior year. But unfortunately, it didn’t work out as planned. I’ve been dealing with a tremendous amount of pain for a long time. At this time, I’m not able to play up to this level that I want to.
“Five different specialists from around the country have reviewed my MRIs and at this time surgery is needed. The operation is scheduled for Wednesday and the rehab process to get back to 100 percent is approximately six months. It’s a very difficult decision. I have tremendous teammates and made many friends at the university. I’ve grown tremendously as a player and as a person, working under my great defensive back coach, Coach John Neal and the defensive coordinator, Nick Aliotti, who recruited me to the University of Oregon.”
Boyett played in Oregon’s season opening win against Arkansas State, where he recorded an interception, but did not play last Saturday against Fresno State.
The surgery will repair partial tears of both patellar tendons. Boyett did not say how the injuries occurred. A senior, Boyett was listed on several preseason award watch lists and All-America lists. Heading into this season, he made 276 total tackles in 39 games.
“It’s a tough situation that I’ve been put in, but I just want to continue to strive to be the best,” Boyett said. “I had very high expectations for myself and this team for this upcoming season. I was ready mentally. It’s just my patellar tendons weren’t allowing me to perform. I felt I was more ready mentally than I ever had been before. I’ve been a leader the past couple of years. I just want to continue to do everything I can to help the team win.
“I’m trying to stay strong. It can all be fixed and I can be back to 100 percent.”