Browns OL Tucker to miss 2 months with broken hip

5/17/2008 7:10 PM

CLEVELAND (AP) -Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Ryan Tucker broke his hip during practice this week and will miss at least two months.

The Browns said Saturday that Tucker had successful surgery at the Cleveland Clinic on Friday to repair the non-displaced fracture. He hurt himself Wednesday during the Browns' organized team activities and limped off the field at end of practice.

The 6-6, 320-pound Tucker will likely miss all of training camp but is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season. Cleveland's opener is Sept. 7 at home against the Dallas Cowboys.

The 32-year-old Tucker, who has been in the NFL 12 years, won a Super Bowl ring with the St. Louis Rams and has been a dependable player for the Browns since joining them as a free agent in 2002.

He was suspended in 2007 for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances. Tucker admitted taking a banned substance, saying he did so because he was ``down and out'' due to a mental disorder that limited him to nine games the previous season.

Tucker was on the reserve-non-football-illness list for the final eight games of 2006. At the time, the Browns said Tucker's disorder was one ``commonly experienced by the general population as well as by professional athletes.''

Tucker moved from tackle to guard after the suspension to replace an injured Seth McKinney.

He started all 16 games in 2005, and in 2003 he was the only Cleveland offensive player to be on the field for every snap.