The conservative treatment your doctor prescribed is just not open to an athlete who wants to continue his athletic career. The question is not even if it's a partial or total tear. The question is whether the knee is unstable or not. Nine out of ten times, the Lachman maneuver they perform at the side of the field (don't see it any more because of the tent) tells the story - surgery or no surgery. And I'd second Tenntiderman - I've had surgery on both shoulders. When they went in my right shoulder, they discovered, despite a normally-functioning shoulder, I had no rotator cuff and hadn't in a long time. Therapy and exercise are the answer...