B.C. Lions linebacker Josh Woods suffers season-ending knee injury

A key defensive weapon for the B.C. Lions has had his season cut short by a knee injury.

A key defensive weapon for the B.C. Lions has had his season cut short by a knee injury.

Head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell confirmed Wednesday that linebacker Josh Woods is done for the year. The 26-year-old from Ontario, Calif., went down in the first half of B.C.'s victory over the Edmonton Elks on Thursday and had to be carted off the field.

“He’s going to require knee surgery and he’ll be out for the year," Campbell said at the team's training facility in Surrey, B.C. "We’ll fully support him. And he’s going to be around here rehabbing and doing his thing, contributing in any way that he can. We will absolutely miss him.”

Woods posted on social media, saying there was no need for "any pity or sympathy."

"I’m at peace and motivated," he wrote. "I’ve been through it before and I know I can do it again."

The six-foot-two, 234-pound athlete had a strong start to the campaign, registering 22 total tackles in B.C.'s first three games of the season. He sits among the top-10 CFL players in that category so far this year.

The Lions won't be able to completely fill Woods' hole in the lineup, Campbell said, but his teammates will come together to keep the defence strong.