Pete Carroll says Tyler Lockett had surgery on broken tibia, fibula

Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett had successful surgery over the weekend after breaking his leg in the team’s loss to Arizona, according to coach Pete Carroll. Speaking with “Brock and Salk” on Monday, Carroll said Lockett’s surgery was late Saturday night and that doctors had to repair both his tibia and fibula, which both broke above his right ankle.

“He had a great surgery. They had to go right at it and they say in four to six weeks he’ll be up moving and getting on the AlterG (a rehabilitation treadmill) and working, so it’s a very secure job they did,” Carroll said. “They’ve got some issues with infections and stuff they’ve got to fight right now, make sure that he comes through clean because there was a little break in the skin, but other than that, he’s got a chance to have a great recovery. This is a remarkable person and he’s going to do everything you can do to be right, and he’ll beat all the records on time frames coming back.”

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Asked if doctors inserted a rod to help stabilize Lockett’s leg, Carroll said: “They did everything. They did the whole thing to make sure it was secure as possible.”

Besides instability with both bones broken, the open fracture made this an urgent matter. Expect full recovery for @TDLockett12 in 6-9 mos. https://t.co/ZWu47i7ZaE

— David J. Chao, MD (@ProFootballDoc) December 26, 2016

Lockett was hurt late in the second half when Cardinals cornerback Brandon Williams landed on his right leg as he was making a catch near the goal line. The replays were stomach-turning, showing Lockett’s foot moving in a way that it only could if his leg above it was broken. Quarterback Russell Wilson said afterward that he noticed “there was blood everywhere near his ankle.”

“It was such an unfortunate circumstance for the young guy,” Carroll said. “What an unbelievable kid. We love this guy and all the sudden he’s down on the field after making a great play.”

Teammates and trainers converged on Lockett once he went down. Carroll was there, too.

“I’m just talking to him. I’m just loving him up at the moment,” Carroll said. “He was just focusing on just getting through the discomfort and all that and he was doing an unbelievable job of it. We’re just getting through the time frame there and just doing it together. It’s a very, very difficult time for a young guy. Think what’s going through his brain and what’s happening. He doesn’t know what the extent of the injury is and all of that and he’s in terrible pain, too, discomfort and all that. So just kind of trying to help him through it.”

At one point, as a member of the team’s medical pumped up the air cast on Lockett’s right leg, Doug Baldwin got down on all fours and gave Lockett a hug. Baldwin said afterward that he was praying with Lockett.

“He was emotional throughout the half, the rest of the game, too. It really got him,” Carroll said of Baldwin. “These guys are so close. They’re like brothers and they’ve lived together and worked together, and Tyler’s been the young guy, kind of the little brother, bringing him up and all that, and he’s such a lovable guy that everybody just takes to him and so it just broke everybody’s heart when he was out.”

Note

• Carroll said running back Thomas Rawls’ status for the team’s regular-season finale at San Francisco is uncertain. Rawls left Saturday’s game in the first half what with Carroll called afterward a bruised shoulder. Carroll said Rawls hasn’t had an MRI yet. “We’ll see,” Carroll said. “I don’t think it’s bad, but he did get banged.”