BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns safety Gary Baxter, attempting a comeback from two freak knee injuries, underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Tuesday.
Baxter, who tore both patellar tendons on the same play in a 2006 game against Denver, had loose cartilage removed during the procedure at the Cleveland Clinic, coach Romeo Crennel said. It's the latest setback for Baxter, who sat out all last season while rehabbing and switched from cornerback to safety to try and extend his career.
Crennel gave no timetable on a return date for the 29-year-old Baxter, who has played in just eight games since signing with the Browns as a free agent in 2005.
No player has ever come back and played after tearing both patellar tendons. Baxter, though, has been determined to be the first. Although he's a step slower, Baxter has looked good at times. Last week, Crennel showed the Browns a highlight of Baxter breaking up a pass during a recent practice.
"I showed it to the team because I thought that it was meaningful because it was two years since he's had his hands on that ball in a competitive situation," Crennel said. "But this cartilage is slowing him down a little bit and he's disappointed about it. But he's matured quite a bit and he'll be able to handle it because if you can handle two patellar tendons on the same play, he can handle a piece of cartilage that they take out of the knee.
"Gary wants to play."
Recently, Baxter met former NFL wide receiver Wendell Davis, who also tore both patellar tendons on the same play in a game. Davis never made it back from his injuries, but Browns general manager Phil Savage invited him to camp to meet Baxter, who played four seasons in Baltimore before signing a six-year, $30 million deal with Cleveland.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
