Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington, who has a history of shoulder surgeries, was in a "state of shock" after leaving Sunday's 23-13 loss to the San Diego Chargers with an another injury.
"I'm truly disappointed because I know what type of work I've put in and what type of work our team has put in," Pennington said.
The Dolphins said they didn't know the extent of Pennington's right shoulder injury, which happened on the team's first possession of the second half.
With the score tied at 3, Pennington took a hit from Chargers linebacker Kevin Burnett after throwing an incomplete pass on third-and-7 from the Dolphins' 40 and was slow to get up. Once he reached the sideline, Pennington took off his helmet and shoulder pads and later had a bag of ice on his shoulder.
Chad Henne was 10-of-19 passing for 92 yards with a fourth-quarter interception that Chargers safety Eric Weddle returned 31 yards for a touchdown. That gave San Diego a 23-6 lead.
Pennington twice injured his right rotator cuff while with the New York Jets, in 2004 and 2005, and had surgery each time.
"I've worked extremely hard and overcome a lot of adversity and been able to play when people said I couldn't play anymore," said Pennington, who's in his 10th NFL season and second with the Dolphins. "To fathom that I've been through two surgeries and been able to play and play at a high level, I think it's quite an accomplishment.
"I am hoping for the best and preparing for the worst," he added. "It's not my first rodeo with injuries and experiencing things like this."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
