The Sydney Swans have revealed the worst possible news for luckless defender Alex Johnson, with the club confirming that the 26-year-old ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and will miss the remainder of the season.
In Sunday's crucial fixture against the Melbourne Demons at the MCG, AJ was chasing Jesse Hogan to the boundary in the first quarter when the Demons' star forward quickly sidestepped away from Johnson's grasp.
The Swans' favourite defender went off his feet and over the boundary line, as all onlookers had their hearts in their mouths.
Sydney Swans head of football Tom Harley confirmed the injury on Tuesday.
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“Clearly this is a really disappointing outcome for Alex,” Harley told the Sydney Swans website.
“Alex has worked so hard over the past six years to get back to playing football and for this to happen in his second game back is just shattering for him and for us.
“Alex has shown unbelievable resilience and determination over his career and will continue to be an inspiration to his teammates and the wider AFL community.
“As we saw after the injury on Sunday, Alex is the ultimate clubman and will be doing all he can to support his teammates from the sidelines for the remainder of the season."
The fact that it was considered Johnson's good knee speaks to how devastating the injury is, both for the player and club.
Fans were sure to send love AJ's way when the terrible news spread.
You can see the incident in the video player below.
Johnson played his first game of top-level footy for the Sydney Swans in 2156 days when they beat the Collingwood Magpies in round 20, and the game against the Demons where he sustained the season-ending injury was just his second since the 2012 grand final.
He has endured five knee reconstructions, twelve knee operations, a seemingly-unshakeable knee infection and one bout of groin surgery.
Neither Johnson or the club has revealed what the next steps are in Johnson's future.
What he knows is that the entire AFL will be supporting whatever choice he makes.
