National Football League

Falcons LB Weatherspoon ruptures Achilles, out for entire '14 season

Published Jun. 10, 2014 8:43 p.m. ET

Ross Jones

Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon will miss the entire 2014 season after rupturing his Achilles on Tuesday, the team announced.

“During Sean’s run today with our medical staff, he suffered an injury,” head coach Mike Smith said in a team-released statement. “We sent Sean to the doctor for some additional testing and evaluation and unfortunately the results showed that he ruptured his Achilles tendon. Sean had been working extremely hard to get back on the field, but regrettably he will miss the entire 2014 season. He will have a procedure done in the near future and we expect him to make a full recovery.”

Weatherspoon, who missed nine games last season because of a combination of foot, knee and shoulder injuries, is entering the final year of his rookie deal.

A first-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Weatherspoon is considered a leader in the locker room and a productive player when healthy.

While the team has three promising players in Prince Shembo, Marquis Spruill and Yawin Smallwood, they will be forced into action sooner than expected.