Merriman Will Ignore Doctors' Advice and Play in 2008

Over most of the last week, San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman has toured much of the country, seeking the advice of several orthopedic specialists in regard to his injured knee. And without exception, each of the specialists told him the same thing; have surgery to repair the injured ligaments or risk causing career-threatening damage.

So, naturally, Merriman, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, has decided to ignore all that advice and will not have surgery at this time, insisting he will play in 2008.

“I’m going to play,” Merriman told the Union-Tribune. ”I’ll deal with it when it’s time to get surgery.”

The problem is, each of his doctors to a man says that time has come. And there could be a steep price to pay on his end if he exposes the injury to the grind of a full NFL season.

“I know what’s at stake,” Merriman told FOXSports Jay Glazer Wednesday. “But I had a goal with the team before the season started, and I’m sticking to it."

By sticking with that goal regardless of the consequenses, however, Merriman is making himself look very foolish and is risking taking years off his career. There's no guarantee he will be the same player he was a year ago if he undergoes surgery to correct a torn PCL and LCL, but it's also easy to fathom the possibility that he won't be as effective playing on a defective knee either.

Give the guy kudos for putting the team first and attempting to tough this out, but on the surface this just doesn't appear to be a wise decision on his part.

Photo: Charley Gallay / Getty Images