Port Adelaide utility Jack Watts has had surgery on a broken leg and dislocated ankle after suffering a horror AFL injury.
Watts’ right leg was trapped in a tackle in the third quarter of Port’s win against Carlton on Saturday night.
The 28-year-old had surgery on Sunday.
“It’s too early to be putting a specific timeline on his recovery at this stage,” Port’s head of medical services Tim O’Leary said in a statement.
Port coach Ken Hinkley said post-match he was confident that Watts would overcome the latest setback in his maligned career.
Watts endured a torrid off-season when lewd text messages he allegedly sent to a woman were leaked online.
Later, video emerged of the 28-year-old snorting a legal menthol-based powder from a woman’s chest at the infamous Oktoberfest in Munich.
The incidents came as Watts prepared for his second season at Port, after the former No.1 draft pick was off-loaded by Melbourne.
“He has been through a lot of stuff – you don’t get through what he has been through in the past if you’re not a resilient person,” Hinkley said.
“So he’s going to call on that again with an injury.
“This is a different scenario for him but I’m sure he’s capable of handling that and bouncing back.”