MADISON, Wis. -- Curt Phillips will miss the entire 2011 season after an exploratory surgery Friday revealed further damage to his surgically repaired right knee.
"After the procedure yesterday, basically his knee didn't heal like the way that we projected or the way he wanted," head coach Bret Bielema said after Wisconsin's annual spring game Saturday. "He'll have to go in for another procedure at some point, probably after school is out and he'll be out for the season."
Bielema would not reveal whether or not Phillips tore the ACL in his right knee for a third time but said he has "no chance" of contributing in 2011.
"Devastating," quarterback Jon Budmayr said. "Not only do we lose such a great player on our team, but he's a close friend and you hate to see a close friend go through that one time, even twice and now he's going through that for a third time."
Bielema said Phillips intends on continuing his football career and the redshirt junior figures to be the ideal candidate for a sixth year of eligibility, which the NCAA would have to grant. Phillips already applied for a medical redshirt once and was denied by the NCAA, but after missing an additional season, one would assume it would be granted this time around.