A once promising college football career for North Dakota State linebacker Eddie Beson appears to be over. The sophomore linebacker never recovered from a serious knee injury suffered two years ago.
Beson tore his ACL and MCL during spring practice of 2008. It was feared to be a very serious injury - and it turned out it was.
Beson tried to make a go of it this winter during off-season workouts, but constant inflammation never fully went away, said head coach Craig Bohl.
"He just said, 'I don't have the function that I need,' " Bohl said.
Attempts to reach Beson for comment were unsuccessful.
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He was a first team Wisconsin all-state selection as a senior from Appleton who had the athletic ability to throw the shot put and discus and run the 400 meters in track and field. He was one of NDSU's top recruits in the 2008 class and was under serious consideration the following fall to play as a true freshman. As it was, he remained No. 2 on the depth chart, but did not play as to retain his redshirt.
He was tabbed to compete with Tyler Henry to replace Joe Mays as the starting middle linebacker when spring drills began. But Beson was injured in a light-hitting drill during one of the final workouts before the annual intrasquad spring game.
"It was a pretty significant injury, one of the more difficult ones to repair," Bohl said, adding that rarely does a player not come back from a knee injury.
Beson tried; he played in just six games last year making one start. He had 24 tackles, despite looking limited with his range of movement.
Bohl said Beson will remain in school at NDSU. It will be paid for under a medical hardship case.
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