Bradford's Time At Oklahoma Over

NFL News - October 26th, 2009 - Written by John

When Sam Bradford went down in the first week of the season, injuring his right shoulder before halftime, he told reporters that he did not regret his decision to spurn the draft and would still like to return this season and help Oklahoma get back to the National Championship.

Now that the College Football Injuries are beginning to add up, Bradford has begun to reassess things.

On Sunday, Bradford announced that he would opt for season-ending surgery to repair strained ligaments in his throwing shoulder, and when the procedure is finished, would focus on entering the 2009 NFL Draft in April.

World renounded surgeon, Dr. James Andrews, will perform the surgery this Wednesday in Birmingham, Alabama. The procedure is expected to shelf him for four to six months.

"I dreamed about coming to Oklahoma my whole life," Bradford told reporters in a written statement. "That's the reason I came back for this season. And I came back to play, not sit on the bench. That's the reason I tried to play after the injury. I'm very disappointed that it didn't work out differently.

"Under these circumstances, and after talking to several people, this is the right thing for me to do at this point."

Bradford, who is Okahoma's all-time leader in touchdown passes and yards despite only playing two years, won the Heisman Trophy last season. He threw for 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns as a sophomore, and was expected to be the no. 1 selection in the NFL Draft before deciding to come back for his junior season. It was a considerably disappointing decision, taking only 29 snaps in the season-opener against BYU, and only eight snaps against Texas. He will not get a chance to return to the Downtown Football Club for another award, nor will the Sooners return to the championship game.

They are 4-3 after losses to BYU, Miami and Texas, and can only hope for a miracle to play in the Big 12 Championship game for the fourth-straight year.

"We want Sam to pursue the best option for his recovery and future," Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said. "We obviously feel this is best for his long-range future. Sam has led us to two Big 12 championships and an appearance in the national title game, and has demonstrated uncommon leadership skills. He is an absolute role model as a student-athlete and loyal teammate.

"We appreciate the incredible contributions he has made to this program and university."

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