Report: Former KU linebacker Ben Heeney out for season

photo by: AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Los Angeles Rams running back Nick Holley runs past Houston Texans linebacker Ben Heeney during the first half in an NFL preseason football game Saturday, Aug. 25, 2018, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

A former standout linebacker at the University of Kansas, Ben Heeney’s fourth NFL season ended Wednesday before it ever really began.

The Houston Chronicle reported that Heeney, a 26-year-old backup inside linebacker for the Texans, had surgery on his left ankle, following an injury suffered during the team’s preseason game this past Saturday.

With the setback expected to sideline Heeney for the whole season, Houston waived him on Wednesday, too. As pointed out by the Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, the organization did so in order to be able to place Heeney on its injured reserve list if he clears waivers.

Drafted in the fifth round by Oakland in 2015, Heeney played his first two seasons with the Raiders. Oakland cut him in September of 2017, and Heeney briefly joined New Orleans last year before Houston claimed him off waivers this past October.

He would play five games for the Texans as a reserve in 2017 before finishing the year on injured reserve.

Since becoming a professional, Heeney has played in 24 games, recording 44 tackles.

Heeney posted a photo of himself, taken in a Houston hospital, Wednesday morning to his Instagram account. The former KU linebacker and Hutchinson native accompanied the picture with a message that read, in part: “The road to recovery is a long and difficult one, but I’ve been down this road before and I know exactly what I need to do to get myself back to where I want to be.”

In his senior season at KU, in 2014, Heeney recorded 127 total tackles and 13.0 tackles for loss. He made 335 tackles over the course of his four years with the Jayhawks and currently ranks eighth in program history in that category.

I know God has a plan for me and is putting me through all of this adversity for a purpose. Still trying to find out what that plan is exactly but I can only play the hand that I have been dealt. The road to recovery is a long and difficult one, but I’ve been down this road before and I know exactly what I need to do to get myself back to where I want to be. #GodsPlan #KOS #TheReturn #RoadToRecovery

A post shared by Ben Heeney (@henbeeney) on Aug 29, 2018 at 5:23am PDT

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