I'm not just blaming him, I'm blaming the organization. I'm not doubting your reports, but I don't understand why they had him doing absolutely nothing. I get no lower body work and if it was the off season it would be different, but if everyone was hoping for him to come back this season then putting extra weight on a bad knee doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
And your right, if he isn't focused on cardio, he will pay for it to some degree. I just think it was excessive weight gain from the looks of it.