NORMAN, Okla. — Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford will have season-ending shoulder surgery and expects to enter the NFL draft in April.
The Oklahoma quarterback injured his right (throwing) shoulder twice this season, most recently against Texas on Oct. 10. The Big 12 Conference school announced Sunday that Dr. James Andrews will perform the operation Wednesday in Birmingham, Ala.
“I dreamed about coming to Oklahoma my whole life,” Bradford said in a statement. “That’s the reason I came back for this season. And I came back to play, not sit on the bench. That’s the reason I tried to play after the injury. I’m very disappointed that it didn’t work out differently.
“Under these circumstances, and after talking to several people, this is the right thing for me to do at this point.”
Bradford passed up the chance to be a first-round NFL draft pick this year — he was projected as high as No. 1 overall — to play another season with the Sooners, who he grew up following as a child in Oklahoma City.
Bradford expects his recovery time to be four to six months. As of Sunday, the April 22 draft was about six months away.
“I’ll be up to the challenge,” said Bradford, who led the Sooners to the BCS title game last season as a sophomore.
