Former Iowa star defensive end Adrian Clayborn’s second NFL season ended prematurely on Monday.

Clayborn suffered torn ligaments in his right knee during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 16-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Buccaneer head coach Greg Schiano announced at a press conference Monday that the 24-year-old defensive end would undergo season-ending surgery.

“I don’t exactly what it is,” Schiano said. “Some of those three-letter deals … it may be more than one [injury].”

Clayborn, a St. Louis native, led Tampa Bay in sacks last season as a rookie with 7.5. He picked up 19 sacks at Iowa and 37.5 tackles for a loss. Clayborn was named the MVP of Iowa’s 2009 Orange Bowl win after making 9 tackles and 2 sacks.

The Buccaneers drafted him with the 20th overall pick of the 2011 NFL draft, and Clayborn had started the first 19 games of his career before the injury.

by Sam Louwagie