Football can be a cruel, unyielding sport, and Dre Brown merely serves as the latest example.
Last offseason, Brown sustained a torn ACL in his right knee that sidelined him for the entire 2015 season. Nearly a year to the day later, the Illinois running back suffered a torn ACL in his other knee. This injury will not only force Brown to miss the upcoming season, but it could end his career as well.
Brown made the announcement on his personal Twitter page Tuesday night, one day after incurring the injury during a Monday practice.Breaks my heart to announce this. Don’t know why it happened to me... Going to try and keep my head up. Pray for me. pic.twitter.com/4777m4DydB
— Dre Brown (@DreBrown27) April 20, 2016
Brown was a three-star member of the Illini’s 2015 recruiting class, rated as the No. 48 back in the country and the No. 8 player at any position in the state of Illinois. An early enrollee, Brown was honored with the Newcomer Award for the offense last spring.
Coming off the first ACL tear, Brown was slated for a backup role to leading rusher Ke’Shawn Vaughn.
This is the second major injury for an Illini player on the offensive side of the ball this month. Exactly two weeks ago, star wide receiver sustained Mike Dudek suffered a knee injury that was ultimately diagnosed as a torn ACL. Ironically, this is the second straight year Dudek has incurred the same injury.