Editorial Commentary: Want to Play in the National Football League? Not For Long If You Have an Untreated Cartilage Defect of the Knee

Although the epidemiology and risk factors for chondral injuries of the knee among prospective National Football League athletes have been reported, the effect of previously untreated chondral injuries on players’ early National Football League career performance has been unclear to this point. Despite not requiring surgical treatment, players with these untreated injuries were drafted later, played and started fewer games, and exhibited lower fantasy scores—a surrogate marker for performance. Untreated chondral injuries of the knee can have potentially deleterious effects on the playing careers (and financial prospects) of professional American football players.