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Remember when Johnathan Franklin almost single-handedly beat the Bengals in Week 3 this past season?
Everyone remembers that game for the miraculous rally Cincinnati made to escape with a 34-30 win.
What people forgot about was Franklin, a rookie from UCLA, rushed for 103 in the second-half to help Green Bay build a 30-14 lead and seemingly put the game out of reach.
The Bengals rarely allowed a team to rush for 100 total yards, let alone a single player to do it in one half. Franklin looked like a future star that day, but injuries caused him to fall behind James Starks and Eddie Lacy on the depth chart.
A neck injury in Week 12 vs. the Vikings ended his rookie season, and it may be worse than originally expected.
According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, Mike McCarthy has revealed that Franklin will no longer be with the Packers:
MM: I have some unfortunate news about Johnathan Franklin. Organization will address it tomorrow. He will not be back with us.
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) June 19, 2014
McCarthy said Franklin's situation will be addressed tomorrow. ... That likely means he will retire or be waived injured.
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) June 19, 2014
Demosvsky originally reported the Packers were concerned that neck injury was career-threatening, and it appears their worst fears were realized.
Perhaps the biggest concern is about Franklin, the fourth-round pick from UCLA who finished his rookie season last year on injured reserve following a neck injury. The Packers are worried that Franklin's neck injury might be career-threatening. According to two people with knowledge of his situation, the Packers are putting Franklin through more tests to determine whether it's safe for him to continue playing.
This would be very sad to see if his career ends after just one season.