[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Daryl Johnston doubts career is in jeopardy

By Jean-Jacques Taylor

The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS -- Cowboys' fullback Daryl Johnston said Friday he doesn't think the bulging disk in his neck will end his career.

Two sources have said that realistically Johnston has two options: He can have surgery, miss the season and try to play next season. Or he can retire.

The sources have said Johnston definitely needs surgery if he wants to play football again. On Friday, one source said Johnston could be cleared to play football again if he has the surgery and it goes well.

"I'm not a doctor," Johnston said. "I can't tell you whether this is going to be correctable and this is something I'll never have to worry about again.

"I can tell you, I don't think it puts my career in jeopardy."

Johnston said he has gathered all the information he needs from his medical team, and he will take as much time as he needs to make an educated decision.

"I'm going to do the best thing for me and my wife and the rest of our lives together," Johnston said. "If they told me I wouldn't have the quality of life that me or my wife deserve, then I'm prepared to walk away from the NFL."

Johnston's position makes his decision more difficult because his job is to use his body as a battering ram against opponents who often outweigh him by 30-40 pounds.

Veteran Herschel Walker will replace Johnston in the starting lineup, and rookie Nicky Sualua will be activated for the first time this season.

Given the injury's location, near the base of the neck, Johnston, 31, could assume a substantial risk of paralysis if he continues to play. Johnston, however, said he is encouraged because doctors have given him the names of several football and hockey players in similar situations.

"The doctors can't guarantee me anything. I don't think anyone is going to guarantee me anything," Johnston said. "I could call doctors around the country until I found one guy who could give me peace of mind.

"Nobody has mentioned whether you could do more damage to it or whether there's a threat of catastrophic injury. I don't talk about the 'P' word."

Johnston, a two-time Pro Bowl performer, will have his streak of 149 consecutive games end Sunday against Jacksonville. He began the season as one of only 25 players to have played in every game since 1989.

Durability has been his trademark.

"The most disappointing thing is not being able to play. One of the things I wanted to do is try to play in every game of my career. It's something I took pride in because I don't do much in terms of rushing or receiving, so I wanted to say I suited up for every game of my career ... this has been very hard to accept.

"But this is something you want to be sure about, you don't want to fool around with it."

TUINEI'S DECISION

Left tackle Mark Tuinei, who has a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament on his left knee, also faces a difficult decision.

Trainer Jim Maurer said the Cowboys want to wait as long as possible to see if their rehabilitation program increases the strength in Tuinei's leg. If the strength doesn't improve over a period of time, Maurer said Tuinei will have season-ending knee surgery.

"Surgery ends it, and he doesn't want it to end," Coach Barry Switzer said.

(c) 1997, The Dallas Morning News.

Visit The Dallas Morning News on the World Wide Web at http://www.dallasnews.com/

Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services.