Mizzou defensive tackle Harold Brantley suffered broken leg, knee ligament damage in car wreck

Missouri junior defensive tackle Harold Brantley “is in good condition and recovering” after undergoing surgery Sunday night for injuries sustained in a car wreck earlier that afternoon, according to a release from MU athletics.

Brantley, 21, suffered a broken tibia in his lower left leg, ligament damage in his left knee and several broken ribs during a rollover accident on U.S. 63 near the KOMU television studios in Columbia.

He had successful surgery to repair the broken leg Sunday at the University of Missouri Hospital and will require surgery to repair the knee injury in three to four weeks, according to the statement from MU athletics.

Brantley is sore from the rib fractures, but those are expected to heal in time and he will be released from the ICU on Tuesday if progress continues as scheduled.

Tigers associate athletic director for sports medicine and head football athletic trainer Rex Sharp provided the update.

“We’re pleased to report the prognosis is very good long-term, and that Harold should be able to make a full physical recovery,” the MU athletics statement read.

But there is no timetable for Brantley’s return to the field, which puts the 2015 football season in jeopardy.

“It’s too soon to put a timetable on a planned return to football activities, so we’re going to leave that open and focus all attention on helping Harold recover and get back to full health first,” the statement said.

Missouri women’s basketball player Maddie Stock was a passenger in Brantley’s car at 1:55 p.m. Sunday when the 2000 Chrysler Concorde slid off the left side of the road, overcorrected and went off the right side of the road, struck a guardrail and overturned, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.

Stock, 21, sustained minor injuries. She also was transported by ambulance to University Hospital, but she was treated and released Sunday afternoon.

Neither Brantley nor Stock was wearing a seatbelt, according to the highway patrol crash report.

Brantley — a 6-foot-2, 280-pound native of Hershey, Pa. — was the most experienced player on Missouri’s defensive line in the spring. He finished last season with 54 tackles, including seven for a loss, and added five sacks, two blocked kicks and seven quarterback hurries.

Fans are encouraged to post well wishes at MU’s Facebook page.

This story was originally published June 22, 2015 at 12:16 PM with the headline "Mizzou defensive tackle Harold Brantley suffered broken leg, knee ligament damage in car wreck."