Notre Dame football: Fleming sidelined again

For former Notre Dame outside linebacker Darius Fleming, Sunday was a case of deja vu — and not the good kind.

The fifth-round draft choice of the San Francisco 49ers in April 2012 suffered a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee for the second time in 14½ months. This time it came during a non-contact kickoff coverage drill.

On Tuesday, the 49ers put Fleming on waivers for the purpose of placing him on injured reserve. Fleming’s first ACL tear occurred May 11, 2012 and wiped out his entire 2012 season. Now 2013 is gone.

“No reason to feel sorry because I'm strong enough to handle this,” Fleming wrote on his Twitter account Tuesday. “Just know my story will be worth reading when it's all said and done.”

According to the Sacramento Bee, Fleming will undergo surgery later this week and face a nine-month recover/rehab period.