Leg injuries have dotted Bo Scarbrough’s football career so he took this latest one in stride.

The former 5-star recruit and Alabama starter was on crutches watching his Birmingham Stallions teammates fall 45-31 to New Orleans in the third game of the USFL’s second season. A big part of the Stallions’ run to the first championship of the reborn league, Scarbrough will need some time before getting Year 2 going.

He had surgery last week to remove a bone spur from his knee, Scarbrough told AL.com. Recovery time is in the four-to-six-week range as he works in rehab to get his leg back to form. The injury, unlike a few that impacted his college career, wasn’t too painful.

“It was just something they said I needed to get done,” Scarbrough said. “I could have still played with it but I got it done.”

The setback followed a return to form for Scarbrough last year. He signed with the Stallions midseason before rushing 84 times for 352 yards (4.2 average).

The 2022 title-game win over Philadelphia included a 36-yard Scarbrough touchdown run in a shootout Birmingham ultimately won, 33-30.

“It was good to be back playing football in Alabama in front of the Roll Tide fans and the Stallions fans,” Scarbrough said Saturday. “I just want to thank the USFL for giving us the opportunity to play football and put us in the position we’re in.”

The New Orleans Saints came calling after the USFL season with a tryout opportunity but it didn’t lead to another shot at the NFL.

His time in the big leagues has been sporadic. The Dallas Cowboys picked him in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft but he was cut before the season began. The Lions gave him a shot the next season as he started five of the six games in Detroit, rushing 89 times for 377 yards (4.2 average) and one touchdown.

Another injury led to his release in 2020 before the Seahawks signed him. Appearing in one game, Scarbrough ran six times for 31 yards in what was his last NFL outing to date. He was cut by the Raiders during the 2021 training camp before signing with the Stallions the following May.

“I didn’t think it was over before the league started,” Scarbrough said. “This league gave me an opportunity to show I could still play.”

The injuries started early in his college career. Ranked the 16th-best recruit in the 2014 recruiting class, a torn ACL ended his redshirt freshman season before it started.

Then, after a breakout end to his sophomore season, Scarbrough broke his leg in the second half of a CFP title game loss to Clemson. He had been named the MVP of the Peach Bowl semifinal win over Washington after running for 180 yards and two touchdowns.

A final college season saw Scarbrough share carries with Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs as his average dipped from 6.5 yards the previous year to 4.8 as a junior with nearly the same number of attempts. He entered the NFL draft the following spring.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.