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Duke

Duke's Deaver undergoes surgery, Schroeder transfers to Hawaii

Jul 11, 2012

Durham, N.C. — Duke redshirt sophomore tight end Braxton Deaver underwent successful surgery on Tuesday to repair a fracture of his left patella. He suffered the injury on Monday during a team workout.

“Our sympathies certainly lie with Braxton as this is his third surgical procedure in the past six months,” said Duke head coach David Cutcliffe, referring to Deaver’s surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in January, and an operation to mend a fractured thumb in June. “Right now our focus with Braxton is to get well, and not worry about getting back on the football field. As we all know, injuries are a part of football, and now I expect our younger players to step into more significant roles.” More Info     More Duke Stories

Dr. Dean Taylor, a Duke Athletics team physician and Professor of Surgery in the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery with the Duke University School of Medicine, performed Deaver’s operation on Tuesday afternoon.

A projected starter in 2012, Deaver caught eight passes for 107 yards while playing in all 12 games last season. An Academic All-ACC pick, he was one of three recipients of the Sonny Falcone Iron Duke Award, a team honor presented annually to one offensive player, one defensive player and one player in the developmental program for their year-round commitment to strength training and conditioning.

Cutcliffe also announced that incoming freshman defensive end Allen Jackson suffered a shoulder injury during team workouts and will undergo surgery at a later date.

In addition, Sean Schroeder, a quarterback in the Blue Devil program for the past three years, will play his final two seasons of eligibility at the University of Hawaii. Schroeder graduated from Duke this past May and is eligible to participate for the Rainbows in 2012 as a graduate student.

“We wish Sean nothing but the best as he continues his college football career at Hawaii after making great contributions to our program for three years,” Cutcliffe said. “We spent time during the spring trying to find him an opportunity, and now we’ll definitely be pulling for the Rainbows on Saturdays. Norm Chow and I are longtime friends, and I couldn’t be more excited for Sean to have the chance to learn and play for one of the finest coaches in the country.”

The Blue Devils open the 2012 season with a home contest against FIU on Saturday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m.