Could Percy Harvin still play in 2013 after undergoing surgery on torn labrum?
By Ross Jones, FOXSports.com Now that Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Percy Harvin has decided to undergo surgery to treat a partially torn labrum in his hip, medical experts will debate if he'll be able to return to the gridiron this season. Although Harvin was placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list during the preseason, the team could activate him later if his rehab goes well. “If they’re going to do the bony work where you trim the bone so they no longer bump into one another and damage the labrum, then three to four months is as fast as you can come back,” FOXSports.com NFL medical expert Dr. Mark Adickes said. “Now, would you want to rush something like this in a guy you invested $67 million in? I don’t think so. “I think [the Seahawks] would say let’s go ahead and take our time and start over for next year. Could he be back for the end of the season? He probably could, but I think that they probably would want to go ahead and end the year for him.” Since Harvin has entered the league in 2009, he has missed 21 of 64 games due to injury and if he decides to play through the pain, it would be something that could linger during the season. The Seahawks have a lot invested in the wide receiver as they signed Harvin to a six-year, $67 million extension in the offseason with $25 million of that guaranteed. They also traded a first-round and a seventh-round pick in the 2013 draft and a third-round pick in the 2014 draft to Minnesota to acquire the oft-injured receiver. Adickes, who is a renowned orthopedic surgeon, has worked on NFL players in his past and operated on Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III after he tore his ACL at Baylor. “If [Harvin] came to see me, I’d say let’s give you an injection and see if we can get this thing calmed down and get you through the season,” said Adickes, before Harvin made his announcement to undergo surgery. “I don’t think it would significantly affect his play. Now, if he has the bony issue where the shape of his bones is doing further damage to the labrum then you may need to go ahead and address this and his season would be done.”