What Panthers legend Thomas Davis said to Jonathon Brooks after heartbreaking ACL tear

Jonathon Brooks got some words of encouragement from Thomas Davis.

Nov 25, 2018; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Thomas Davis (58) jumps in front of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images / Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images

Jonathon Brooks tore his ACL for a second time last Sunday. Just a few weeks after making his NFL debut because of a knee injury, he went down with the same exact injury. It gives him a longer, more difficult road to recovery. No one knows that better than Carolina Panthers legend Thomas Davis.

Thomas Davis reached out to Jonathon Brooks after second ACL tear

Thomas Davis tore his ACL three times in 23 months. In under two years, Davis had suffered the worst knee injury he could sustain three times. He said the mental challenges, ones Jonathon Brooks will now face, were a little harder than the physical ones.

"Just offered words of encouragement," Davis said per Panthers.com. "Reassured him during this process that I would be there with him every step of the way, any questions that he had, anything that he needed to lean on me, I'm here for him."

Davis made three Pro Bowls, his only three appearances, in the years after his third ACL tear. He is living proof that players can survive this happening multiple times. In fact, he's proof that thriving is still an option.

The Panthers believed in Brooks enough to spend a second-round pick (trading up, no less) on him knowing he wouldn't play for a while. He will have a harder time living up to that billing, but the Panthers believe the talent is there.

Head coach Dave Canales believes the determination is also there. "He knows how to do this, he'll be able to attack it, and his focus is just going to shift in terms of what he's competing for," he said. The Panthers' future might depend a little on that.

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