I'm not a doctor so I won't comment too much on this topic but a Yahoo! contributor claiming to have knowledge of the human body isn't very optimistic about Drew Brees' recovery from playing with an admitted MCL sprain this past season...
As a biological scientist who has extensively studied the human body with regard to diseases, injuries and patterns of recovery, I have my doubts about Drew Brees'(notes) ability to fully recover from playing the entire NFL regular season with an MCL sprain.
The author then goes on to give the consequences of playing on an injured knee which include further injury, addiction to pain medication and degenerative arthritis. Hey, maybe Jay Cutler did the right thing!?
Take it for what it's worth...