BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego Chargers linebacker Manti Te’o has a fractured right foot and is expected to miss significant time, a person with knowledge of the situation said Monday night.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t made the news public.
Te’o was hurt in Sunday’s 22-10 victory at Buffalo. He has been bothered by foot injuries. He missed the first three games of his rookie season in 2013 with what the team said was a sprained right foot. He had surgery on the foot in January.
Chargers coach Mike McCoy loathes discussing injuries. He has declined to give an injury report at his weekly Monday news conference, saying that he meets with the team trainer after he meets with reporters. He has also refused to confirm when players have surgery.
Te’o, the team’s second-round draft pick in 2013, missed time during training camp after spraining his left foot in the second exhibition game.
The latest injury was first reported by the U-T San Diego newspaper.
While Te’o is expected to miss significant time, the injury apparently isn’t bad enough to place him on season-ending injured reserve. He can’t be placed on injured reserve, designated to return, because outside linebacker Melvin Ingram was placed on that list with a hip injury on Saturday. Teams can use that exemption only once per season.
Ingram will be eligible to return to the active roster following the team’s Nov. 9 bye.
Te’o has settled into life in the NFL after enduring the glare of publicity following the revelation he’d gotten fooled by a hoax involving a fake girlfriend while at Notre Dame.
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