HOOVER, Ala. -- Missouri defensive lineman Harold Brantley will not play this season following an automobile accident that left him with multiple injuries last month. Tigers coach Gary Pinkel confirmed the news Wednesday at SEC Media Days. However, Pinkel but did not say that the 6-foot-3, 280-pound defensive tackle's playing career is finished.
"He kind of took it over from Shane (Ray) and Markus (Golden) when those guys left. So that will be a loss, but we'll work around that," Pinkel said. "... He'll develop and the great thing is, he's going to be OK, No. 1. He's going to be 100 percent healthy, No. 2. He can accomplish all his goals and graduate."
Brantley was to be a fourth-year junior this fall, so he will be eligible to play in 2016, at a minimum. He could also appeal to the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility, which is commonly granted under injury circumstances such as Brantley's.
Brantley and passenger Maddie Stock, a Missouri women's basketball player, were involved in a one-car accident June 21 in Columbia, Mo., south of the Missouri campus. Brantley's 2000 Chrysler Concorde struck a guardrail and overturned. He suffered a broken leg, knee ligament damage and rib fractures. Stock's injuries were minor.
Brantley made 54 tackles with five sacks for the Tigers last season and, prior to the accident, had been expected to lead a Tigers defensive line that has produced four NFL draft picks over the last two years.
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