Halapoulivaati Vaitai, offensive lineman for the Detroit Lions, had spine surgery in Dallas on Sept. 13, according to The Detroit Free Press.
He was placed on injured reserve Sept. 5, ruling him out for at least the first four games. He has had several injuries during his time in Detroit, missing six games with a foot injury in 2020 and two games in 2021 — one with COVID-19, the other due to a brain injury, according to The Detroit Free Press.
Mr. Vaitai will be sidelined for most of the season, but Lions coach Dan Campbell did not rule out the player returning to action late in the campaign.