Theismann Has Second Operation

Redskin quarterback Joe Theismann underwent a second operation on his broken right leg Thursday, and a team spokesman called the surgery “successful.”

The operation, at Arlington Hospital, involved cutting a six-inch square window into the quarterback’s thigh-to-toe cast, removing the gauze over the wound and checking for infection.

During Washington’s nationally televised 23-21 victory Monday night, Theismann was sacked by the New York Giants, and his tibia and fibula--the major bones of the lower leg--were snapped, the bone ends were crushed, and the edges of the bones tore through the skin.

The surgery, a follow-up procedure to the operation that lasted into the early-morning hours Tuesday, was performed by the team’s orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Charles Jackson, who also performed the first operation.

Theismann, 36, is expected to remain in the hospital for at least a week of recuperation. He will wear a long cast for about six weeks, switch to a short cast for an additional six weeks and undergo three months of rehabilitation on the leg before he can begin his comeback bid.

Theismann is scheduled to hold a 20-minute news conference at the hospital today.