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Pain in the neck Peter's season, possibly career, over due to injury
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Carolina defensive end Jason Peter is done for the season, possibly forever, because of yet another neck injury. Peter, the Panthers' first-round draft pick in 1998, suffered a serious stinger in his neck on Nov. 19 against the Minnesota Vikings. He's been staying at his parent's home in New Jersey since he was hurt and visiting his doctor there. Panthers coach George Seifert said Thursday that Peter was considering an operation on his neck, which would be the second in 13 months, and that it could end his career. "Anytime you're dealing with that area, that looms as a possibility," Seifert said. "I think Jason is a very competitive guy and wants to play. If there's any way he can play, he'll play. "But if they do operate again, then that's something that he and his doctors and his family have to take into consideration." Peter, 26, has a history of neck injuries in his NFL career. He missed the final seven games of last season after a suffering a similar neck stinger. Doctors had to operate on his neck to relieve pressure on the nerve that runs through his left shoulder and arm. In October, he suffered a bruised nerve in his neck when he was hit awkwardly during a light practice when players weren't wearing pads. The injury caused numbness in his left arm and forced him to miss two games. At the time, Peter said he was trying not to think about retirement, but worried he would be forced into it because of a family history of neck injuries. His younger brother, Damian, was temporarily paralyzed when he broke a neck vertebrae in a 1994 diving accident. Damian, who was supposed to enroll at Notre Dame that fall, never played football again. "The neck is something a lot of people take for granted sometimes; I went through it firsthand with my brother. It's a scary thing," Peter said in October. Peter, whose older brother Christian plays for the New York Giants, has played in nine games this year and has 20 tackles and two sacks. He has yet to play a full season in the NFL because of injuries. Jason Peter played for Nebraska from 1994-97, and Christian Peter played for the Cornhuskers from 1993-95.
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