Aaron Rodgers may have had his debut season with the New York Jets end prematurely, but he is in good hands for his recovery.
The veteran quarterback suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury in his debut week with the Jets, after getting knocked to the ground in the week one game against the Buffalo Bills.
The four-time NFL most valuable player snapped the Achilles tendon in his left leg, an MRI scan revealed on Tuesday. He underwent surgery with the doctor to the stars, Neal ElAttrache, and will need between nine to 12 months in recovery.
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Rodgers shared a snap of him in hospital after ElAttrache operated on him and seemed in good spirits.
“Surgery went great yesterday. Thank you for all the love and prayers,” Rodgers captioned the Instagram story which showed him sitting in a hospital bed.
He then thanked ElAttrache, describing him as the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time) and “for starting me on the road to recovery.”
Rodgers is not the only big name ElAttrache has operated on. ElAttrache has helped the likes of Tom Brady and Nicole Kidman after she injured her knee filming Moulin Rouge.
The Los Angeles Daily News ranked ElAttrache in its top 50 most powerful people in L.A. sports while he worked for the L.A. Dodgers as their senior physician and sat on the board of Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic.
ElAttrache also served an orthopedic consultant for other L.A. teams including the Lakers, Kings and Ducks. He performed surgery on Kobe Bryant’s Achilles tendon and Zack Greinke’s collarbone on the same weekend.
Other famous clients of the doctor have included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Charlize Theron and Ringo Starr.
Schwarzenegger had nothing but praise for ElAttrache.
“Dr. ElAttrache is the real deal—one of the most talented surgeons I’ve met,” he told The Los Angeles Times in 2013.
“He can fix what others say is unfixable. He is the ultimate asset for any athlete who goes to him because they need their bodies to perform at their best, whether it is on a football field or in the movies.”
Another interesting fact about ElAttrache is that his brother-in-law is Sylvester Stallone, who he has also performed surgery on. The doctor is married to Tricia ElAttrache, sister of Stallone’s wife, Jennifer Flavin.
ElAttrache has previously discussed his decision to become an orthopedic surgeon.
“In a sense I made the choice to keep a positive outlook through my life. In orthopedics, you could. You could help a guy run again or walk again or throw again. You mostly saw them get better and do their sport again,” he told the LA Times.
Rodgers was traded from the Green Bay Packers in a mammoth deal, with the hopes he could help lift the Jets out of its Super Bowl drought. While he signed a two-year deal with the New York team, many are wondering if the 39-year-old can bounce back for one more NFL season.
But he promised to “rise again” in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
“Thank you to every person that has reached out, texted, DM’d, connected through a friend, etc,” Rodgers said in the post. “It has meant a ton to me, and I’ll try and get back to all of you soon. I’m completely heartbroken and moving through all of the emotions, but deeply touched and humbled by the support and love. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I begin the healing process today.
“The night is darkest before the dawn. And I shall rise yet again.”
