CARSON, Calif. — Former University of Hawai'i quarterback Colt Brennan's arm strength wowed National Football League scouts during yesterday's Pro Day at the Home Depot Center.

His strength of character was equally impressive.

In a letter distributed to the more than 50 scouts yesterday morning, Brennan revealed that he will undergo surgery Monday to repair what he described as a "slight" labrum tear in the right-hip area. It is a tissue injury and not cartilage damage.

Brennan said he was told the rehabilitation period is between 8 and 12 weeks, after which he will be fully healed and not need further medical procedures for the condition.

"Right now, I'm not 100 percent," Brennan said. "What I will be in July is 100 percent. I'm excited about the fact that I'll be 100 percent again."

The NFL draft is the last weekend of this month. Rookie camps start in early May.

While the condition, which was recently diagnosed, might have gone unnoticed until after the draft, Brennan insisted on alerting the NFL.

"I know the magnitude of (the injury) because it was so close to the draft," Brennan said. "I could have hidden it. I could have played that game. But that's not me. I wanted to show integrity and character."

He said he considers the condition to be "minor," adding "if I were already on a football team this probably wouldn't make the news. This is how minor the injury is."

But as a pro prospect, he said, "everything is critiqued."

Brennan said he suffered the injury during a Senior Bowl practice in January.

"It was a fluke, the most fluke thing that could happen," Brennan said. "I was dropping back in warmups. The way I turned, the way my leg planted — I was trying to over-exaggerate — I felt a small pop. It didn't seem serious."

But then he began to experience what he termed "dead-leg effect" in which his right hamstring felt tight and his right thigh weakened.

"I didn't have that strength," he said. "I pushed through it. I tried to rehab it and get it going. It was really slow. It wasn't coming along."

Still, he participated in the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in February. He was credited with a perfect score during the passing drills; a "catchable" ball was dropped.

"I had five weeks to get it ready" for Pro Day, he said. Each NCAA team is allowed to sponsor an audition workout for its pro prospects.

Because Brennan did not notice any improvement with his right leg, his orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Warren Kramer, consulted with renowned hip specialist Dr. Marc Philippon, who recommended a medical procedure to repair the labrum.

Brennan rejected the option of allowing the injury to heal on its own.

"If I wanted to shut down and not do anything for the next couple of months, it would heal up," Brennan said. "But I don't have the ability to do that. I can't take two, three months off and wait for my hip to heal. I'd rather go into this surgery and speed up the healing process, and know that come the beginning of July, I'll come back and be 100 percent and ready to go."

He said he can do weight training during his rehabilitation.

Brennan noted that running back Priest Holmes had a record-setting season after undergoing a similar procedure.

"It's not a serious injury," Brennan said. "It can be easily fixed. That's why I came out here (to Pro Day). I wanted to show I can play football. I can play a game today. I wanted to show I wasn't scared."

Yesterday, Brennan did not participate in the running drills or weight-lifting sessions. Instead, he cheered on his 18 former teammates who had traveled to the complex that serves as headquarters for the U.S. national soccer teams.

After the speed and strength tests were completed, the players, coaches and scouts walked 200 yards to a soccer field. Orange cones were set up as boundary markers.

Scouts gathered to watch Brennan practice his footwork in which he weaved through a maze of cones.

Then Ted Tollner, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback coach, huddled with Brennan and receivers Ryan Grice-Mullins, Davone Bess, Jason Rivers and C.J. Hawthorne. After going over the routes, Brennan threw for the next hour.

Bess, who had aggravated a tight right hamstring during the 40-yard dash, did not run patterns. Instead he was positioned at specific areas. Rivers and Grice-Mullins also experienced tightness to their hamstrings while running routes.

"It was unfortunate because his receivers pulled up a little bit and they couldn't run at the rhythm they're used to running at," Tollner said. "They got out of sync. They're a little disappointed, but they shouldn't be. (Videos of) their games show what they can do."

Because of a stomach ailment, Brennan reported to the Senior Bowl weighing 185 pounds. He weighed 207 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine. Yesterday, he weighed in at 218 pounds. Concerns about Brennan's arm strength were answered during the passing drills held in chilly and windy conditions.

"Colt had a good workout," Tollner said. "His throws had a lot of zip. Some people say: 'Does he have the arm?' He has plenty arm. He's very accurate. There's no question he can play at the next level. He can make all of the throws."

All of which begs the question: Where will Brennan be drafted?

At the end of the 2006 season, an NFL assessment panel predicted that Brennan was a likely late first-round pick. Despite a painful sprained ankle, Brennan's stock improved through the 12-0 regular season last year.

"People were writing I was up there until the Georgia game," Brennan said, referring to UH's blowout loss in the Sugar Bowl. "When everyone thought I would be a high-draft choice, I told myself it only matters what you do after you get drafted. Now that I'm in this position, it still holds true."

After the NFL Scouting Combine, interest increased in Brennan. Now, Brennan acknowledged, teams will have to accept that he will not be at full strength for at least eight weeks.

"All I need is a team to give me a chance," Brennan said. "I know that faith and just the way my life has turned out, I know I'll be on that football field on Sundays. I just know it."