Kansas City, Mo. ? Kansas City Chiefs running back Priest Holmes had arthroscopic surgery Tuesday as part of his rehabilitation from a hip injury that caused him to miss the last two games of the 2002 season.

Holmes was to return Tuesday night to Kansas City from Miami, where he had gone to see a specialist about his hip.

“They took an MRI, and it just looked like this procedure needed to be done,” Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil told The Kansas City Star in Phoenix, where he was attending the NFL’s annual meetings. “It’s just like going in to remove scar tissue from a knee that’s been operated on. It will help the process.”

Carl Peterson, the Chiefs’ president and general manager, Vermeil and Holmes’ agent, Todd France, did not immediately return calls.

Vermeil said the surgery was expected to push Holmes’ rehabilitation schedule back at least four to six weeks.

Asked if the surgery was a setback for Holmes, Vermeil said, “I think it’s the opposite, that it’s a positive. This will sort of prepare him for the next progress level.”

Holmes was leading the NFL with 1,615 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns when he suffered the season-ending injury in a mid-December game against Denver. Holmes also missed the Pro Bowl because of the injury.

“The long-range prognosis was always positive and still is positive,” Vermeil said. “This just speeds up the process.”