Stephen Tulloch injures knee celebrating sack, to miss rest of season

Stephen Tulloch is out for the rest of the season after a celebratory dance Sunday that went horribly wrong. The veteran Detroit Lions linebacker has been placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL, Coach Jim Caldwell announced Monday.

Not quite as bad, but still pretty bad, is that Tulloch will now be forever linked with former kicker Bill Gramatica, who also tore his ACL while wildly celebrating a field goal in 2001.

“I made a play on the quarterback to help my team and unfortunately I got up and in the celebration, and it happened,” Tulloch said after the game. “I’m not embarrassed.”

In the first quarter of the Lions’ 19-7 win over Green Bay, Tulloch took down Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers for his second sack of the season. Afterward, he attempted to mark the occasion with a dance of some sort, perhaps an imitation of Rodgers’ signature title-belt move.

But after jumping high and landing hard on both feet, Tulloch had just started to gyrate when a knee gave out and he tumbled to the ground. He tried to continue playing but left the game for good soon after.

“I appreciate everyone’s concern about me,” Tulloch said Sunday night on Twitter. “I play the game with a passion. Its unfortunate I didn’t finish the game. But we got the win.”

Twitter: @chewkiii