Star Lotulelei Injury: Updates on Panthers Star's Foot and Recovery

Star Lotulelei was ruled out for the against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC divisional round. Although he may have been able to play if the team reached the Super Bowl, the Panthers lost to the Seahawks to end their season. He stated he's already excited for the 2015-16 season.

Continue for updates.  

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Lotulelei Speaks on Recovery, Post-Injury Support

Monday, Jan. 12

Jonathan Jones and Seth Lakso of the Charlotte Observer provided a statement from Lotulelei discussing his recovery after undergoing surgery on Jan. 7:

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According to players who saw the Lotulelei injury, it appeared that the 25-year-old stepped on a teammate’s foot before limping back to the locker room.

'I don’t really know how it happened,' said Lotulelei as he and his teammates packed the contents of their lockers into large black trash bags at Bank of America Stadium for the final time this season. 'It was just in practice. I felt a little pain and I rechecked it after and (the doctors) told me what was up.'

Lotulelei said that almost immediately after the news broke, his phone began to buzz with encouraging messages.

'Everyone was texting me that they were thinking about me, especially the (defensive) linemen,' he said. 'Everybody was asking how I was doing and checking in.'

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The experience, Lotulelei said, has only added to his desire to get healthy and return to the field next season.

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Lotulelei Ruled Out vs. Seahawks

Wednesday, Jan. 7

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com has the report:

A Panthers player later confirmed the news to David Newton of ESPN:

Teammate Colin Cole revealed that Lotulelei would need surgery, but could return for a potential Super Bowl trip, per Newton:

Ron Rivera would later confirm the news via Curtis Crabtree of KJR:

Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated reacted to the news the way many Panthers fans likely will:

Lotulelei has become a staple on the Panthers defensive line, registering 67 tackles and five sacks in 30 games over his first two seasons for Carolina. He's continued to get better and peaked at the right time this season, as Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com lamented:

Indeed, Lotulelei saved his best for last, registering seven tackles and two sacks against the Atlanta Falcons in the final game of the season with a playoff spot on the line before notching four tackles against the Arizona Cardinals in the Wild Card Round.