Report: Pouncey will not play in Super Bowl

Pittsburgh Steelers centre Maurkice Pouncey will not play in Super Bowl XLV against the Green Bay Packers, according to a report from ESPN.com. Pouncey suffered a severe ankle injury in Pittsburgh’s AFC championship victory over the New York Jets. The Steelers rookie was seen leaving the game on crutches and has reportedly been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain.

Doug Legursky, who replaced Pouncey in the AFC championship, is expected to start at centre in the Super Bowl. Legursky will have to block Packers’ 337-pound defensive tackle B.J. Raji, who scored the game-winning touchdown in Green Bay’s victory over the Chicago Bears.

Earlier in the week, Steelers guard Chris Kemoeatu told reporters that Pouncey is not expected to play in Super Bowl XLV, but later backed off those comments.

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.