Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley not only visited a specialist in North Carolina on Wednesday, but he actually had surgery while there. The surgery, which was reportedly done to fix a foot fracture, will force Fairley to miss most or all of training camp.
Below is the statement the Lions released about this news.
"The examination of Nick Fairley's foot today by Dr. Bob Anderson resulted in a diagnosis consistent with that of Lions’ team physicians that surgical correction was required. Accordingly, surgery was successfully performed this afternoon in Charlotte, N.C., by Dr. Anderson. Nick is expected to miss a significant portion of training camp."
Obviously it's never good news for a first-round pick to have surgery to repair an injured foot just days into training camp, but the hope is Fairley will be ready to go when the regular season rolls around. This injury may slow his growth as an NFL player down, but the key thing is for him to not miss any regular season games. Based on the Lions' statement, it doesn't sound like they are expecting him to be out for anything beyond training camp and the preseason, which is a much better timetable for recovery than some were anticipating.