Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was voted to be a starter in the 2011 Pro Bowl, but he will not actually get to play in the game due to an injury. Suh never showed up on the injury report during the season and never showed any signs of being hurt, but on Jan. 10 he will have surgery on his shoulder. From a press release sent out by the Lions:
"My thinking (on surgery) was just to make sure I was 100-percent healthy going into the off-season program and to be ready for March and so forth," said Lions DT Ndamukong Suh. "I truly wanted to play in the Pro Bowl, which is a great honor and opportunity.
"It came down to making a decision to play in the Pro Bowl or to have surgery as soon as possible and begin rehab in order to help my team next year achieve our goals of getting into the playoffs and competing for a championship. The organization and I opted to have the surgery now and not wait. I will always put my team first."
"I will still plan to attend the Pro Bowl and support my teammate Calvin Johnson."
This sounds like a procedure to clean things up in whatever shoulder needs it (the Lions didn't specify) rather than a serious injury, but it's good that he's getting a jump on the surgery and not waiting around for it. While it would be cool to see him in the Pro Bowl, it's an exhibition game at the end of the day. I'd much rather have a healthy Suh for when the offseason program begins, which is why both Suh and the Lions opted not to wait for the surgery.