HEMPSTEAD, N.Y.-The Jets said yesterday that Chad Pennington played the final seven games of the season with a torn right rotator cuff, confirming that the star quarterback’s injury was more serious than the team had been willing to admit until now.

Pennington will have surgery to repair the tear shortly after the Super Bowl, and team doctors are optimistic he will be ready to throw by training camp. The arthroscopic surgery will be conducted by shoulder specialist Dr. James Andrews, Pennington’s choice.

Team medical director Elliot Pellman disclosed at a news conference yesterday that the team, which initially described the injury as a strain, knew there was a tear in the muscle since the first MRI exam was conducted after the injury in November.

Pellman insisted that the Jets didn’t risk further injury or damage to Pennington’s shoulder by clearing him to play those final seven games of the season, during which the Jets went 3-4.

“We did not allow him to return to play until we were satisfied that he was strong enough and pain-free enough to be able to return to play with minimal risk,” Pellman said. “Was there risk with him returning to play? Minimal.

“The rehabilitation continued, and as Chad has said publicly, and to us as well behind closed doors, that as the season progressed his shoulder felt better and better. And, in fact, by the last two games of the season, his shoulder felt actually quite well.”

After surgery, Pellman said there will be three to four weeks of full rest with the arm in a sling and then three to four months of range-of-motion physical therapy. That would mean Pennington should be able to start throwing sometime in late June or even early July, just before training camp begins.

“We are optimistic that Chad will do absolutely fine, and we are optimistic that, in fact, he will be ready for training camp,” Pellman said. “Given that, however, it is surgery, and there are black holes with any type of surgery. We will have to wait and see.”

Pennington was hurt November 7 against Buffalo after he was hit hard following a scramble, and missed three games. The Jets did their best to hide the extent of the injury. When asked whether there was a tear in the rotator cuff the day after Pennington got hurt, coach Herman Edwards said, “No. Strain. That’s what it is.”

The severity of the injury is disconcerting, because rotator cuff tears are uncommon for quarterbacks. Pitchers who sustain the injury often take up to a year to recover fully. But quarterbacks do not throw the ball as hard and have fewer motions, so the recovery time could take as few as six months.

The Jets gave Pennington a $64 million, seven-year contract extension before the season started. They also are in the market for a backup QB, since Quincy Carter is a free agent and expected to look for a starting job elsewhere.