This is such a dumb post. Rest an ACL, huh? So that somehow magically an area that gets next to no blood flow will magically repair a ligament that can only be repaired with surgery? Oh, ok. I'm genuinely curious how you've decided that resting a torn, unhealable ligament will significantly change anything.
He didn't do his meniscus or MCL. His ACL is already torn, damage done—you just can't "continuously weaken" a torn ligament. After 6 weeks, you are almost guaranteed to have full range of motion, limited (if any) swelling, and a lot less pain and discomfort. Some professional athletes who tear their ACL's opt to not have them repaired because they're so well conditioned and strong that the lapse in stability after the tear is borderline negligible as quads, hamstrings and stabilizer muscles can for some do the ACL's job.
So, please, tell me what Tom was at risk to do? Double tear his already shredded ACL? Even if he sustained damage to his MCL or meniscus in a separate crash, both would be fixed simultaneously along with the ACL.
The guy made his life for the last 4-5 years all about achieving this particular goal that frankly, looks quite a bit less likely to become a reality in 2018. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with his decision to compete and make a run at Sochi. I respect his choice and his willingness to persevere through the adversity. I just can't understand how you or anyone would want to indict him over this.
He had every opportunity in the world to play up his injury and justify his less than typical finishes with his knee, and he didn't. The most popular skier in the sport managed to keep his injury essentially a total secret. Clearly, he didn't want it to be a distraction and a constant source of sympathy and speculation.
Hope to see Wallisch back with a vengeance next year.