Southern loses All-American receiver Hayes with torn ACL

In addition to suffering a disheartening 30-21loss at the hands of the Northwestern State University Demons, Southern University also lost wide receiver Michael Hayes for the remainder of the 2001 season. Hayes, a 1-AA preseason All-American is suffering from a torn ACL and a small tear in his medial meniscus.
“Obviously this was not planned,” said Hayes when asked his feelings regarding his injury. “Right now, I am going to concentrate on having a successful surgery and look to getting started on rehabbing the knee.”
Hayes, who had just entered the game after serving a two-quarter suspension, was injured in his third catch of the second half.
“I had just received the pass when I turned to cut, my foot got caught in the mud, my knees buckled and I went down,” said Hayes.
The lost of Hayes so early in the season will cause some changes in the Jaguar game plan.
“This (losing Hayes) really changes a lot. Mike was a big factor in what we were trying to do this season,” said friend and teammate quarterback Terrance Levy. But, on a more optimistic level Levy also feels, “This will test the team’s will…See how much we really want it as a team, as an offense.”
In 2000, Hayes was considered by many to be the best player in the SWAC. Hayes caught a school record 80 passes for 1329 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Scoring 92 points Hayes lead the SWAC and was 22nd in the nation, he was also third in the SWAC and 40th in the nation with an average of 120.7 yards per game. The Sports Network’s Preseason outlook listed Hayes as the number one 1-AA receiver in the preseason. Hayes was also being watched for the Walter Payton award.
“It’s going to be tough to replace a player like Michael Hayes. What we now have to do, is accept what has happened and move forward,” said head coach Pete Richardson. ” We will immediately begin the process with the NCAA, for him to regain this year through a medical redshirt.”
Hayes is set to undergo surgery to repair his torn ACL in two to three weeks.