Travis Lulay placed his crutches by his locker and turned to face the media.
Although the diagnosis on his right knee was still yet to be determined, the dejected look on his face and the tears starting to glisten at the corners of his eyes spoke volumes.
The veteran quarterback for the B.C. Lions suffered a suspected tear to his anterior cruciate ligament on the second play from scrimmage in Friday鈥檚 41-18 victory over the Montreal Alouettes.
鈥淭here鈥檚 significant damage,鈥� said Lulay. 鈥漌e鈥檒l have to do an MRI to confirm what happened exactly.
鈥淚鈥檓 shocked more than anything. Things happen. I鈥檝e obviously dealt with stuff like this before, but it鈥檚 personally disappointing.鈥�
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鈥� Travis Lulay (@TravisLulay)
Lulay was tackled on a six-yard run by Montreal鈥檚 Branden Dozier and stayed down before being helped to the sidelines.
鈥淚 went to cut inside and when my foot planted in the ground I felt my knee shift,鈥� Lulay said in describing the play. 鈥滻t really happened before the contact. I got up and it hurt.鈥�
Lulay was seen wiping tears from his eyes on the bench as trainers examined his knee before placing his leg into an air cast.
If it鈥檚 confirmed Lulay indeed suffered a tear to his ACL, he will be done for the year and faces a long rehab after surgery.
鈥淚t鈥檚 devastating for us, for him, for our fans,鈥� said Lions head coach and general manager Wally Buono. 鈥淚t is a very serious injury.鈥�
Lulay, who turns 34 later this month and has dealt with a number of injuries in his career, started in place of Jonathon Jennings after the third-year QB struggled in three straight losses since returning from a shoulder ailment last month.
Jennings replaced Lulay against the Alouettes and capped B.C.鈥檚 first drive with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Arceneaux and two-point conversion to Bryan Burnham.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really tough, but we鈥檙e all here to do a job,鈥� said Jennings, who finished with 295 yards and two touchdowns. 鈥滱s the second-string quarterback, you know you鈥檙e the next play away. I worked all week to prepare myself for the opportunity if it came.鈥�
Lulay, who wouldn鈥檛 discuss his immediate future until he knows the extent of the damage, was 3-1 in Jennings鈥� absence earlier this season and entered Friday as the CFL鈥檚 highest rated passer.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to understand 鈥� it鈥檚 not for me to understand,鈥� said Lulay. 鈥滻 trust there鈥檚 a plan. It鈥檒l make more sense to me someday down the road.鈥�
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
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