Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Nick Perry is to miss the entire off-season with an unspecified injury.
The 2012 first-round Draft pick has been unable to participate in any on-field activities so far this off-season, and he will not feature again until the NFL season is underway.
He missed five games last season because of foot and ankle injuries, though coach Mike McCarthy would not reveal what Perry's issue is this time.
McCarthy told reporters: "I don't think it helps any player to miss a whole off-season. I talked about it last week with the staff. I told the team about it today. Our coaching staff took a different approach. You're accustomed to being a 15-week programme.
"Obviously we're in a nine-week program going on here in Year 4 of this management. To get all that work done, nothing changes. You have a season to get ready for. You have this much work. And to do it all in a nine-week period, and for a player to miss all of it, obviously it's not a good situation to be in.
"Nick is injured, so there is not much more to add."
Running back Johnathan Franklin is another injury concern for the Packers, having failed to recover from a neck injury which saw him placed on the team's injured reserve at the end of last season.
Joe McPhee
