Larry Sanders Out Six Weeks Following Bar Fight, Thumb Surgery [VIDEO]

Milwaukee Bucks forward Larry Sanders underwent surgery on his right thumb to repair damage he suffered in a bar fight earlier this month.

CBSNews.com reports Sanders is expected to be sidelined up to six weeks with a torn ligament in his thumb. Multiple media outlets have also reported witnesses allege Sanders was an instigator in the brawl and was seen throwing champagne bottles throughout the melee.

While Sanders has not been criminally charged in connection with the altercation, his injury compounds what was already a bad start to the season for him. After signing a four-year, $48 million extension over the summer, Sanders has averaged just four points and four rebounds in the first four games he played in.

A six-week recovery period means the 24-year-old center will miss the Bucks next 23 games and be out of the lineup at least until around Christmas. Sanders has not played since the night of the brawl on Nov. 2 and coach Larry Drew has turned to veteran forward Zaza Pachulia as his replacement.

"I put myself in a bad situation over the weekend," Sanders old reporters in the wake of the incident. "Didn't make the best decisions down the stretch. I'd like to apologize to our fans here, Bucks owner Herb Kohl, who I will talk to directly. I've talked to the team, on our organization. It's now what we're about all all, it's not who we are."