Atlanta Falcons honor teen athlete inspiring comeback from knee injury

ATLANTA -  When the Atlanta Falcons take the field against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday night, they will honor a Fulton County teenager who fought her way back to the sport she loves after a serious knee injury.

Just before the 7 p.m. kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Cambridge High School flag football standout Abby Lister will serve as an honorary captain.

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Lister, a star female athlete, was sidelined in 2023 after tearing her meniscus and ACL.

"I had gotten the handoff. I started to go around another girl and I planted my foot and it felt like my body left without my knee," Lister recalled. "I thought to myself, it’s going to be an ACL."

According to Dr. Crystal Perkins, an orthopedic surgeon at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, female athletes face a higher risk of ACL tears due to differences in body mechanics, such as how they jump, land and cut.

"A lot of it has to do with mechanics," Perkins said. "How they jump and land and cut."

Perkins said prevention programs — including targeted strength training and instruction on proper jumping and landing — can be highly effective. "ACL injury prevention works very well," she said.

Lister underwent surgery and spent nine months in rehabilitation, determined not only to return to normal life but to get back on the field.

"I love the feeling of accomplishment in sport, anything in life, pushing myself to see the result after that," she said. "It was hard, that’s the only way."

Last year, her comeback was complete when she returned to competition and was named offensive MVP for her team.

"I’m really glad it’s becoming a bigger thing," Lister said of girls’ flag football.