Minnesota Vikings rookie had to have two surgeries in London after suffering a horrific leg injury which saw him break his tibia, fibula and ankle - an injury which could have been career-ending.
The highly-touted first-round draft pick Cine suffered the gruesome injury in the 2022 International Game against the New Orleans Saints on a special teams play when the Vikings had been returning a punt. The rookie had been blocking a player before landing awkwardly as his leg buckled on the turf.
The stadium had been showing replays to fans in the ground, but did not show Cine's injury as a cart was brought out to take him off the field. Cine was given gas and air for pain relief as his teammates gathered around to wish him well as he was taken straight to hospital.
A week after the injury, head coach Kevin O'Connell has revealed that he was hopeful to play football again - with that being a legitimate worry after an injury as serious as Cine's.
He said: "The fact we’ve been able to kind of limit any of the post-injury damage that can sometimes take place with an open wound like that, I know they feel great about the work that was done."
As for Cine himself, he is expected to return to Minnesota in the coming days, and revealed that he's in high spirits after the double surgeries.
In the Boston Globe, Cine said: "Things have been wild, but everything from surgery to my mental [health] is going well. I will get better from this and use it as fuel."
Haitian-born defensive back Cine, 22, was the Vikings’ first round draft pick this off-season, being taken 32nd overall after an impressive college career with the Georgia Bulldogs. His injury appears almost certain to prematurely end his rookie season.
Cine was a part of a Georgia defence which saw five drafted in the first-round of the NFL Draft, including first-overall pick Travon Walker, Jordan Davis, Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt - along with linebackers Nakobe Dean and Channing Tindall selected in the third round.
