Injured freshman linebacker Dillon Bates gave Tennessee fans an update on his status after surgery Friday afternoon. Bates, who will miss the remainder of the 2014 season due to a torn labrum in his right shoulder, sent out the following tweet after successful surgery:
Surgery went great! Can’t wait to get back out on the field! pic.twitter.com/gGR4kzKyUk
— Dillon Bates (@dillonbates) October 3, 2014
Bates attempted to play through a shoulder injury first suffered in the Vols’ Sept. 6 game against Arkansas State. He continued to play for three more weeks and two more games before team physicians determined that surgery was necessary for the torn labrum in his right shoulder.
Tennessee coach Butch Jones confirmed that Bates would miss the remainder of the season during his weekly press conference Monday.
“We got final word from the MRI and the doctors last night,” Jones said. “He has torn his labrum so he has a labrum tear. So he’ll undergo surgery and he’ll miss the rest of the season. We’ll apply for redshirt which should go through and then we’ll have him back for spring football.”
The 6-foot-3 linebacker was a four-star, top-50 national prospect and the No. 2 outside linebacker, according to Rivals.com. Bates will attempt to gain a “medical redshirt” for this season. He appeared in all four games for Tennessee this season as a backup WILL linebacker, making six tackles.
A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky
