At one point, the announcers in the clip above observe that some of the scariest on-field injuries in football "almost always turn out okay." But that's not the case for Rutgers defensive lineman Eric LeGrand, who was paralyzed below the neck Saturday during a special teams tackle in the fourth quarter of the Knights' overtime win over Army:
Coach Greg Schiano said Sunday that LeGrand was resting in the intensive care unit at Hackensack University Medical Center. He had emergency surgery overnight to stabilize the spine after making the tackle during Saturday's game at the New Meadowlands Stadium."Eric's spirits were as good as you can expect," said Schiano, who visited with him before and after surgery. "He was cognizant of me being there, his mom, everybody. He's a fighter."
[...]
"As I talked to our team, we're just going to believe that Eric LeGrand is going to walk onto that field again with us," Schiano said. "That's what we believe. We'll see with the speed of which that happens."
LeGrand will remain hospitalized "for the near future." It would be impossible to speculate on his prognosis beyond that: Several players over the last decade or so (notably Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett and Penn State defensive back Adam Taliaferro) have defied early fears that they'd never walk again, but those fears exist for a reason. At least, LeGrand's playing career is over.
You can send Eric a message here. Football may be "just a game," but it's a violent, dangerous one, and its victims may bear the scars for years to come, if not the rest of their lives.
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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
Cody Copper Gordon Crockard Craig Dack Roger De Coster Ken De Dycker
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