Denny Hamlin To Race with Torn ACL, but Is It Worth the Risk?

ESPN reported today that Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, recently tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a game of pick-up basketball.

It's the second knee injury Hamlin has suffered in recent months from playing basketball. He had surgery in December to repair a torn meniscus in his other knee. With the season just about to start, however, Hamlin has decided to defer the necessary surgery to repair his other knee until the end of the year.

The repercussions of this story, because of the nature of Hamlin's injury (considered catastrophic in many other sports), have a wide span.

A team spokesman said that Hamlin should have no problem driving the car, but driving hurt means that he won't be the same caliber driver he normally is. Plus, keep in mind that Carl Edwards failed to score a single top-five finish last year after breaking his foot during a game of Frisbee.

An injury the nature of Edwards' takes about six to eight weeks to heal. In any other sport, it would certainly be a cause for concern in an athlete, but after healing, the athlete should be fine.

Hamlin's injury, on the other hand, could undo the entire careers of some other athletes. At the very least, it's a season-ending injury that should take about eight months to a year to be fully rehabilitated, and even then, the athlete will likely never be the same. All-world NFL quarterback Tom Brady suffered a torn ACL in the first week of the 2008 season, and didn't return until the next year.

And we expect Hamlin to drive with this?

The worst feedback that can possibly come out of racing with an ACL tear is a flare-up of the old "drivers aren't athletes" argument. "If they can race with an injury that is catastrophic to sports," the naysayers will inevitably contend, "then what makes them a true athlete? None of these injuries were suffered during racing. They were suffered while the athletes played other sports."

And seeing that these injuries were suffered while playing recreational sports, will team owners begin introducing stricter recreation clauses in athletes' contracts? Already many athletes, in all sports, are prohibited from doing anything that could cause serious injury to them, or else they risk their contracts being voided.

Sure, deferring surgery until the end of the year allows Hamlin to race in the meantime. But there are plenty of other variables he has to consider. For one, deferring reconstructive surgery means that his rehab will have to go through 2011, meaning that if his driving is affected (and it probably will be), he could be out of contention for the good part of two years.

Hamlin is also reportedly a free agent after this season. What if he has a terrible year? Will he be as attractive to other teams, even as attractive to Gibbs, if he's still nursing a pick-up basketball injury?

There really isn't a good reason for Denny Hamlin to drive through an ACL injury. It puts too much at risk. It's smarter for him to properly rehabilitate the injury and come back stronger when it's fully healed. Joe Gibbs Racing can certainly find a worthy candidate for fill-in duty until Hamlin returns.