Falcons LB Tatupu out for the season
The Atlanta Falcons' defense took a significant blow on Tuesday when head coach Mike Smith announced that linebacker Lofa Tatupu will miss the entire season witha torn pectoral muscle.
"As you know, Lofa suffered a pectoral injury last week," Smith said on the Falcons website. "After testing, it was determined that he would require a procedure to repair the injury and unfortunately he will miss the entire season."
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Tatupu was out of football last season after being released by the Seahawks. He has had a number of injury problems, including concussion issues, that have hurt his career.
But the 29-year-old Tatupu signed to a two-year, $3.6 million contract with Atlanta in March and was expected to compete with second-year linebacker Akeem Dent for the starting middle linebacker spot, which became available when Curtis Lofton signed with New Orleans.
However, this injury may put Tatupu's career in jeopardy. The Falcons did not know whether he plans to retire, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution..
