Packers head coach Matt LaFleur tears Achilles playing basketball
Li Xiang
["china"]
Matt LaFleur, new head coach of the NFL's Green Bay Packers suffered a torn Achilles when he was playing basketball on Wednesday.
LaFleur will undergo surgery on Sunday and, fortunately, the injury won't have much influence on his coaching work. According to NFL reporter Michael Silver, LaFleur will work his players in practice and team meetings (OTAs) in the offseason.
A torn Achilles is never easy for anyone in sports and it usually takes six to nine months to recover. There's no clear schedule when LaFleur will be able to stand on his feet again. In fact, the major sports leagues in North America do not like their guys do sports other than their profession.
The NFL forbids its players from "any activity other than football which may involve a significant risk of personal injury." A standard NBA contract disallows a player from participating in boxing, professional wrestling, motorcycling, moped-riding, auto-racing, sky-diving and hang-gliding. Baseball teams prefer to have specific prohibitions for different players.
Aaron Rodgers, quarterback of the NFL's Green Bay Packers /VCG Photo

Aaron Rodgers, quarterback of the NFL's Green Bay Packers /VCG Photo

What may concern the Packers more than their new coach's injury is the team's ace player, quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Part of the reason that the team only ranked No.11 in the National Football Conference (NFC) was the conflict between Rodgers and former head coach Mike McCarthy.
Tyler Dunne of Bleacher Report wrote an article in which he described the relations between Rodgers and McCarthy as a "doomed football marriage" and called Rodgers a player who outmatches all players in holding a grudge. Though Rodgers denied hostility with the longtime coach, it's only understandable to worry about whether he can get along with the new coach.
However, LaFleur did not seem to worry too much. He said he does not care what the outside world said about Rodgers and he enjoys working with the 35-year-old quarterback. Meanwhile, Rodgers has a good impression of LaFleur. "It's fun to watch him (LaFleur) and support him. Just kind of hear his mind as we talk through the quarterback room expectations and the offense initial installs, it's been a lot of fun," said Rodgers.