
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, March 18, 1991                   TAG: 9103180133
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: KANSAS CITY                                LENGTH: Medium

JACKSON MAY MISS ENTIRE BASEBALL SEASON

Bo Jackson has been told he will definitely not play this baseball season, a Kansas City television station, quoting an unnamed source, reported Sunday night.

"Bo Jackson's hip injury is much more serious than anyone first thought," WDAF-TV sports director Frank Boal said at the top of the 10 p.m. newscast.

"So serious, according to our source, the [Kansas City] Royals' doctors who examined Bo have already told Bo he will not play at all this season, and that all Bo's athletic activity, including football, should cease for the next 9-12 months."

Jackson, who injured his hip in the Los Angeles Raiders' playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January, has been on crutches since before the Royals began spring training near Haines City, Fla.

Jackson is scheduled to be examined by another doctor today in Birmingham, Ala. The Royals, who are declining comment pending further medical tests, have scheduled a news conference for Tuesday.

Last season, Jackson was an All-Star in baseball and football. He hit .272 with 28 homers and 78 RBI for the Royals.

Royals team physician Steve Joyce said Saturday that tests on Jackson were completed Friday at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, but he declined to reveal the diagnosis.

Jackson is scheduled to be examined today by Dr. James Andrews, a noted orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports injuries.

Andrews and Royals General Manager Herk Robinson have been notified of the Kansas City test results, Joyce said.

Doctors say avascular necrosis generally does not arise from a sudden injury, but is more often a progressive condition, taking years to develop. It can occur at any age.

"It is potentially a very serious and disabling condition," said Dr. James Lipsey, orthopedic surgeon at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. "It's questionable that it is the consequence of an injury. Usually it is not."

No matter how mild, the condition is not one that allows contact athletics that could damage the tissue and cause greater damage, Lipsey said.

by CNB