Report: Terrell Owens had ACL surgery

BRISTOL, Conn., June 27 (UPI) -- Longtime NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens had surgery to fix a torn anterior cruciate ligament in one of his knees, ESPN reported.

The operation was performed within the past month by Dr. James Andrews, the weekend report said.

Owens, 37, started in 11 games for the Cincinnati Bengals last season. He was sidelined after tearing cartilage in his left knee in a game in December.

The 15-year NFL veteran, who is due to become a free agent when the NFL lockout ends, has said he wanted to return for the upcoming season, but a torn ACL usually requires about six months of rehabilitation.

Owens has caught 1,078 passes for 15,934 yards and 153 touchdowns in his career. Only Jerry Rice, with 197 touchdowns and 22,895 yards, ranks ahead of Owens in those categories.

Cincinnati was the fifth NFL team -- third in three seasons -- for Owens, who broke into the league in 1996 with San Francisco and played eight seasons with the 49ers. He also had two seasons in Philadelphia and three with Dallas before joining Buffalo in 2009 and later going to the Bengals.