McMahon to Miss Rest of Season; Packer Suspended for Two Games

Jim McMahon, who led the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl championship last January, will undergo shoulder surgery and miss the remainder of the football season, including the playoffs, the quarterback said Tuesday. McMahon’s shoulder injury was aggravated when he was slammed to the ground Sunday by Charles Martin of the Green Bay Packers.

Martin, who was ejected from the game for roughing McMahon, was suspended Tuesday for two games. It was the most severe penalty handed down for an on-the-field incident in Pete Rozelle’s 26 years as commissioner of the National Football League.

McMahon said he would undergo arthroscopic surgery on his injured right throwing shoulder Dec. 12 at the office of Dr. Frank Jobe, a Los Angeles orthopedic specialist.

“He told me the same thing the team doctors said--there’s a tear in the rotator cuff--and it needs to be repaired,” McMahon said in Los Angeles.

“Also, I might have a tear in another part of my shoulder, and that may have to be repaired by surgery.”

With McMahon starting, Chicago (10-2) has won 23 consecutive games. But without McMahon, the Bears’ offense has sputtered, putting more pressure on their top-ranked defense.

The Packers announced that Martin will appeal the suspension, meaning the third-year lineman will be able to play Thursday against the Detroit Lions.

Martin was penalized for throwing McMahon to the ground well after the play in the Bears’ 12-10 victory and was ejected by referee Jerry Markbreit.