Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson
Tulane redshirt freshman quarterback D.J. Ponder will have exploratory surgery on his right elbow on May 8, coach Bob Toledo told the New Orleans Times-Picayune on Friday.
Ponder, who is also a pitcher on the Tulane baseball team, suffered the injury Wednesday during baseball practice. He had participated in spring football in the morning.
"They're going to scope it and go from there," Toledo said. "They know there's a (ligament) tear, but they don't know how much yet."
Ponder redshirted for the football team last year, but had appeared in seven baseball games this year and was 0-1 with a 2.00 ERA. He had not pitched in a game since March 22 and was participating in a simulated game on Wednesday when he was injured
Toledo told the Times-Picayune that if Tommy John surgery was needed Ponder would no longer be able to play quarterback, but could convert to wide receiver. He might be able to return to baseball.
"Rick (Tulane baseball coach Rick Jones) told me how bad he feels because D.J. is on football scholarship and he got hurt playing baseball," Toledo said. "But I told him that that sometimes things just happen we have no control over."
Watson joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the Missouri Tigers and the Big 12 Conference for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She also covered college football recruiting for the Dallas Morning News.
