Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has confirmed that Richard Sherman will require Tommy John surgery on his elbow.
The 26-year-old played through the injury in his side's Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots after initially sustaining the problem in the NFC championship game.
A report after the game revealed the severity of the injury, which is usually seen in pitchers in baseball, while the surgery can be known to leave the patient out of action for nine months.
However, Carroll is confident that the All-Pro should not face the same recovery time as other sportsmen.
When asked about the report of Sherman's injury, Carroll told reporters: "From what I understand, that is accurate, His will to play through this never wavered.
"I really don't think so as long as Sherm doesn't want to become a late-inning reliever. There's plenty of time to work all that out, and I don't think there's any concern."
Sherman recorded 57 tackles, one forced fumble and four interceptions in the 2014 season.
Simon Sinclair
