Lofa Tatupu out for Season with Torn Pectoral Injury

Veteran linebacker Lofa Tatupu's bid to restart his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons has hit a major stumbling block, as he has torn his pectoral muscle and will not be able to play this season. 

UPDATE: Tuesday, July 24 at 5:34 p.m. ET by Richard Langford

Falcons head coach Mike Smith spoke to the media about this season-ending injury, and AtlantaFalcons.com's Jay Adams passed along the quote. Smith: 

"

As you know, Lofa suffered a pectoral injury last week After further testing, it was determined that he would require a procedure to repair the injury and unfortunately he will miss the entire season.

"

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ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted out the news:

"

Falcons LB Lofa Tatupu will be out for the year with a torn pectoral.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 24, 2012"

The Atlanta Journal Constitution's D. Orlando Ledbetter also reported that Falcons head coach Mike Smith told the press of the injury. 

Tatupu did not play last season after being released by the Seahawks. He was bought in for a look by a few teams, but never made a roster.

He was trying to get back on the field, and according to Ledbetter, the linebacker-needy Falcons were willing to give him a shot to compete for the middle linebacker position with second-year player Akeem Dent. Ledbetter also reported the terms of Tatupu's contract with the team at two years for $3.6 million.

The Falcons will now likely be in the market for some middle linebacker depth, but this shouldn't be a big blow to their season. They were in trouble to begin with if they thought Tatupu was going to make a difference on this team. 

After a very productive start to his career, Tatupu, 29, has been severely slowed by frequent injuries and age. There is a reason he didn't find a home last year. Chances are, this is the end of his NFL career. He has tallied 550 tackles in six NFL seasons.