San Francisco 49ers fullback Will Tukuafu suffered a pretty gruesome leg injury in their playoff game Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. His leg gets caught under his tackler and bends at an awkward angle. It is unclear whether it is the ankle or knee.
49ers FB Will Tukuafu injured for 49ers on a tackle by Captain Munnerlyn. Knee folded underneath him.
— Steve Reed (@SteveReedAP) January 12, 2014
It certainly looks like it was broken, but he walked off under his own power suggesting that maybe it is just a severe sprain. Could be a torn ligament in the knee as well.
Tukuafu is up and walking off the field under his own power.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) January 12, 2014
And, now, FB Will Tukuafu jogs the final 15 yards off the field to the 49ers' sideline.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) January 12, 2014
For the 49ers it presents some depth issues.
Ouch. Looks bad for 49ers FB Will Tukuafu. He's their backup, too, so depth is an issue there.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 12, 2014
Warning, it is pretty disturbing:
Or the reverse angle:
Ankles aren't supposed to bend like that... pic.twitter.com/BdvkhdMkll
— BuzzFeed Sports (@BuzzFeedSports) January 12, 2014