Duke linebacker Kelby Brown is one of the real hard-luck stories in college football.
Brown, one of the ACC's top linebackers when healthy, tore the ACL in his left knee last week and is ending his college career, according to the Blue Devils' official website. By itself, that doesn't make Brown's situation different than any other senior who tears an ACL in his final season of eligibility.
But this was the fourth ACL tear of Brown's college career -- two in each knee.
"It's difficult to put into words the feeling of heartbreak I have for Kelby and his family," Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said in a statement released by the school. "While we will certainly miss his athletic abilities and leadership as one of the best linebackers to play at Duke, what is most important above all else is Kelby's health. He is a truly special young man who is destined to accomplish great things in his life."
Brown will serve as a student assistant for the Blue Devils this season. After tearing the ACL in his left knee last summer, which put him out for all of last season, Brown applied for and was granted a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA. In 2013, he led Duke with 114 tackles.
College Football 24/7's 15 for '15 series selected Brown as one of the game's smartest players earlier this summer, as well as one of 15 with the best intangibles.
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