Jim McMahon Reportedly Almost Lost His Leg Is Botched Surgery
If there is one quarterback in Chicago Bears history who has at least approached the mantle still held by Sid Luckman, it was Jim McMahon. While he never put up stellar numbers, he won a lot of football games. He remains the only starting QB in franchise history with a Super Bowl ring. Jay Cutler might hold most of the statistical records, but nobody will remember him as reverently as they do McMahon. It is well-deserved, if for no other reason than what the man put his body through to accomplish those things.
Aside from his exploits on the field, McMahon was known for one other thing: injuries. He suffered a bevy of them across his 15-year career—everything from a broken shoulder to a lacerated kidney and multiple concussions. Yet one ailment almost ended up costing him dearly almost three decades later. It was a broken ankle that had been misdiagnosed for years. When he finally got surgery to fix it in 2021, he didn’t know that things were about to get terrifyingly worse. Dan Pompei of The Athletic told the harrowing story.
Be warned. It’s graphic.
About two and a half years ago, the bone was shaved and spurs removed. The doctors said the surgery was a success.
They always say that.
Four days later, McMahon felt a burning sensation. Blood seeped from an area on his leg far from his incision. His ankle was badly infected. Emergency surgery followed. And another emergency surgery.
“My foot literally exploded,” he says.
It looked like a chunk of flesh and muscle had been scooped from the front of his ankle. The open wound was about the size of a baseball and the colors of pizza.
McMahon was told if the infection reached his knee, his leg would be lost. As it crept up his leg — closer, closer, closer — he was as brash and irreverent as always…
…Over two and a half years, he had six skin grafts, the last in November. All the while, amputation remained a possibility.
He couldn’t move his ankle for seven months. The joint calcified. His Achilles tendon shrunk. He couldn’t point his toes up or down.
McMahon recently started seeing Chicago chiropractor Pete Petrovas, who has used electronic stimulation, ultrasound, acupuncture and manipulation to restore function in the joint.
Finally, there is movement. Finally, mercy.
Jim McMahon is as defiant as ever.
The man has endured 25 surgeries over the course of his life. He never should’ve played football in the first place. At age six, he accidentally stabbed his eye with a fork while playing Cowboys And Indians with his brothers. It made him half-blind. Yet McMahon still found his way to the NFL, overcame an archaic offensive scheme, and a body that sometimes felt like it was made of glass to win a championship. Bears fans to this day can’t help but wonder what he might’ve accomplished if he were more durable. Still, what he did accomplish was remarkable.
It isn’t surprising that he beat the infections and kept his leg. Betting against him in high-stakes situations was never wise. Jim McMahon never claimed to be perfect, but he is certainly an inspiration because of what he’s had to overcome. If the Bears ever find another quarterback with his mentality again, they are sure to find more success. Maybe Caleb Williams is that guy. He certainly has the eccentric personality. We will soon discover if he also has the intelligence and moxie.