Merriman to Play this Season Despite Injury

San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman decided he'll play this season despite two torn ligaments in his left knee and he will wait until the off season to have surgery. He had surgery to repair cartilage damage five months ago, but has still had pain in his knee all throughout this season's training camp.

I know Merriman is trying to be a team player and set an example for the team by being the "tough guy" who will play through the pain for the good of the team. However, I think this is a horrible decision on his part. Do you think the team is going to take this into consideration during contract negotiations? The answer is no. The team will say, "oh your numbers are down and we aren't confident you can stay healthy." Thus a pay cut will ensue, or worse yet he tries to play on his already jacked up knee and makes it far worse.

This is a lose-lose situation for Shawne if you ask me. The fans in San Diego would be disappointed if he couldn't play this season due to injury / surgery, but the NFL is a dog eat dog world and he should be looking out for the Top Dog, himself.