Merriman's injury 'requires surgey'

Shawne Merriman met with the media earlier to clarify the situation around the knee injury that threatens to derail his - and San Diego's - 2008 season. The three time pro-bowler, entering his fourth season with the Chargers, revealed that he is suffering from not one, but two seperate issues.

A widely circulated report from the team website stated that first and foremost, Merriman is suffering from a torn Posterior Cruciate Ligament. However today, Merriman elaborated, and confirmed that in addition, he has a torn Lateral Collateral Ligament.

“The combination makes it kind of difficult,” Merriman said. “It makes your knee feel very unstable. It’s something that I’ve been trying to deal with, hoping it would get better by now.”

- Chargers Linebacker Shawne Merriman

Merriman will likely have surgery in the very near future, but is still seeking opinions on how severe the surgery will need to be to solve the problem - if it can be solved at all.

*Update*

According to ESPN.com, Merriman described the doctors as 'surprised' that he had played with the injury for so long, and also revealed that he has been warned that if he opts to forego surgery and play this year, he will likely suffer a career ending injury.