LINCOLN — A leg injury will force two-sport athlete Khiry Cooper to sit out the season with the Nebraska baseball team, head coach Darin Erstad announced Thursday.
Cooper suffered the injury while contributing as a wide receiver for the football team last fall. He had to be helped off the field after the first offensive snap in the third quarter against Penn State on Nov. 12.
Cooper, from Shreveport, La., has a year of eligibility left in both sports, though his plans are unclear at this time. He'll focus on academics this spring and graduate in May, according to an athletic department press release. He won't be on the baseball roster.
“We wish Khiry nothing but the best and appreciate everything he has done for the Nebraska baseball program,” Erstad said in a statement. “We will be here to help him with anything he needs.”
Cooper, an outfielder, hit .260 in 37 games during his junior year in 2011. He turned down an MLB contract after getting drafted in the fifth round in 2008.
His role increased late last season for the Husker football team as he finished the season with four catches.
Coach Bo Pelini, speaking during a press conference Wednesday, did not indicate a change in Cooper's status when asked about roster attrition.
— Jon Nyatawa
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