The Indianapolis Colts have lost place-kicker Adam Vinatieri for as much as six weeks following right knee surgery, the team said Wednesday.
The arthroscopic procedure, performed Wednesday, was to done remove a piece of cartilage in Vinatieri’s knee.
Vinatieri, 41, a former member of the New England Patriots and one of the NFL’s best-ever place-kickers, made 6-of-8 field goal attempts – one a 23-yarder – in Sunday’s 31-9 win over the Tennessee Titans. He had complained about knee pain all season before Wednesday’s surgery.
Veteran Matt Stover was signed to fill in for Vinatieri.
Stover, 41, had spent his entire 18-year career with the Cleveland/Baltimore organization and is the league’s fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,944 points.
In a second roster move, the Colts released defensive tackle Ed Johnson.
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