NFL teamAl Harris suffered a ruptured spleen during Sunday night's 27-16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, and the Green Bay Packers veteran cornerback's season could be over.

An NFL source confirmed Packers NFL team doctor John Gray has diagnosed the internal bleeding Harris was experiencing as the result of a ruptured spleen, but Harris is seeking a second opinion.

Coach Mike McCarthy would only say during his usual day-after-a-game news conference Monday that the medical staff was "just doing scans" and "checking for everything" with Harris, and the NFL team had not officially confirmed Gray's diagnosis as of Monday evening.

Harris' status was reported by on Nationalfootballpost.com, a Web site founded in part by Harris' agent, Jack Bechta, and former Packers contract negotiator Andrew Brandt. Harris did not immediately respond to a text message sent to him Monday afternoon.

Packers general manager Ted Thompson didn't discredit the report, but he did say it is premature.

"There's been no determination yet. Nobody knows enough yet," Thompson said. "The information's not there yet."

It's unclear how severe the rupture is, although it's not as serious as the one suffered by former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms, who was injured during a 2006 game against the Carolina Panthers and left the stadium by ambulance to have emergency surgery to remove his spleen.

Simms missed the remainder of the '06 season and all of the '07 season before being released by the Buccaneers at the end of training camp. He signed with the Tennessee Titans earlier this month.

Harris left Sunday's game twice with what was later announced as cramping, going to the Packers locker room to receive an IV. Harris first was injured with 6 minutes, 51 seconds left in the first quarter after colliding with teammate A.J. Hawk. Harris stayed down for several moments but left the field under his own power and returned after missing one snap. He later made a key tackle against Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber along the sideline just before Nick Collins' end-zone interception.

Harris did not return to the field after that series, and after the game McCarthy revealed Harris had blood in his urine and NFL team doctors would not allow him to return to the game.

Tramon Williams, the NFL team third cornerback, filled in for Harris and was beaten for the loss-clinching 52-yard touchdown to Miles Austin. He would be the starter if Harris is sidelined for the rest of the year, while Will Blackmon would move up to the third cornerback spot in the nickel defense and either rookie second-round pick Pat Lee or Jarrett Bush would play in the dime.

Losing Harris, who went to his first Pro Bowl last season and turns 34 in December, would be a blow for NFL team. The Packers other veteran cornerback, Charles Woodson hasn't practiced during the week leading up to games because of a broken pinkie toe on his right foot.


Thompson said at this point, he doesn't feel the need to add more defensive backfield help to the roster.