I'm sure everybody has heard the story about this young man from the Buffalo Bills. I thought I would start a thread because injuries like these, though rare, always bother me. NFL players go out there every week and play a game that can potentially threaten their health, mobility, and even their lives. I understand these things are also possible in baseball, hockey, and some other sports but it seem so much more prevalent in football. I enjoy pro football, it's probably my favorite sport of the big time pro sports in the USA and these guys go out their and put it all on the line every week for our entertainment. I just want to send out my best wishes to this guy and his family and I hope, somehow, this guy recovers. Here is the story in case nobody has heard it yet: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-bills-everetthurt&prov=ap&type=lgns ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- Kevin Everett sustained a "catastrophic" and life-threatening spinal-cord injury while trying to make a tackle during the Buffalo Bills' season opener and is unlikely to walk again, the surgeon who operated on him said Monday. "A best-case scenario is full recovery, but not likely," orthopedic surgeon Andrew Cappuccino said. "I believe there will be some permanent neurologic deficit." Everett was hurt Sunday after he ducked his head while tackling the Denver Broncos' Domenik Hixon during the second-half kickoff. Everett dropped face-first to the ground after his helmet hit Hixon high on the left shoulder and side of the helmet. Cappuccino noted the 25-year-old reserve tight end did have touch sensation throughout his body and also showed signs of movement. But he cautioned that Everett's injury was life-threatening because he was still susceptible to blood clots, infection and breathing failure. Everett is in the intensive care unit of Buffalo's Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital, where he is under sedation and breathing through a respirator as doctors wait for the swelling to lessen. Cappuccino said it will take up to three days to determine the severity of the injury and the recovery process. Cappuccino repaired a break between the third and fourth vertebrae and also alleviated the pressure on the spinal cord. In reconstructing his spine, doctors made a bone graft and inserted a plate, held in by four screws, and also inserted two small rods, held in place by another four screws. Doctors, however, weren't able to repair all the damage. Bills punter Brian Moorman immediately feared the worst when Everett showed no signs of movement as he was placed on a backboard and, with his head and body immobilized, carefully loaded into an ambulance. "It brought tears to my eyes," Moorman said after practice. He said the sight of Everett's motionless body brought back memories of Mike Utley, the former Detroit Lions guard, who was paralyzed below the chest after injuring his neck in a collision during a 1991 game. Utley, Moorman recalled, at least was able to give what's become a famous "thumbs up" sign as he was taken off the field. Everett didn't. "That's what I was waiting for, and that's what everybody else was waiting for," Moorman said. "And to have to walk back to the sideline and not see that made for a tough time." Utley, who lives in Washington state, was saddened to see replays of Everett's collision. "I'm sorry this young man got hurt," Utley told The AP. "It wasn't a cheap shot. It was a great form tackle and that's it." Cappuccino said Everett was alert and aware of the extent of his injuries. Buffalo Bills team doctor John Marzo, right, and Millard Fillmore Gates hospital orthopedic surgeon Andrew Cappuccino listen to a question during a news conference on the condition of Bills football tight end Kevin Everett at the Ralph Wilson Stadium complex in Orchard Park, N.Y., Monday, Sept. 10, 2007. evin Everett during a news conference at the Ralph Wilson Stadium complex in Orchard Park, N.Y., Monday, Sept. 10, 2007. Cappuccino said Everett sustained a "catastrophic" and life-threatening spinal-cord injury and his chances of regaining a full range of body motion are very small. "I told Kevin that the chances for a full neurologic recovery were bleak, dismal," said Cappuccino, who works for the Bills as a consultant, specializing in spinal surgery. "I was honest with him, and he told me, 'Do everything you can to help me."' Cappuccino received permission to operate from Everett's mother, Patricia Dugas, who spoke by phone from her home in Houston. She and other family members arrived in Buffalo on Monday. Buffalo's 2005 third-round draft pick out of Miami, Everett missed his rookie season because of a knee injury. He spent most of last year playing special teams. He was hoping to make an impact as a receiver. The Bills now attempt to refocus while preparing to play at Pittsburgh on Sunday. "It's difficult because you know the situation," said running back Anthony Thomas, one of Everett's best friends on the team. "We have to move on. But he'll always be in our thoughts and in our prayers." Quarterback J.P. Losman said it was difficult to concentrate during practice. "It seems like every couple of seconds that go by it's always popping into your head," Losman said. "Going through a walk-through, we're looking for him, wanting to hear his voice." Coach Dick Jauron said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell called him Sunday evening, offering the league's support. "We honor ourselves by our work, and we honor Kevin by moving forward and working while never forgetting Kevin and never getting him out of our thoughts and prayers," Jauron said. "We're going to wait and see what the outcome is here and we're really hoping and praying for the best."
You just hope things like this never happen, but they do. Football is a violent sport and sometimes the brute force and breakneck speed cause devastating injuries. Hope this man goes on to lead a normal life.
One second, you're a giant with unbelievably freakish athletic ability...the next second, you're completely helpless. Life is fragile. Hope he can make that full recovery.
i felt sick to my stomach when i heard the news i hope he makes a full recovery. is it just me or has there been an unusually high number of injuries this year in the NFL on opening weekend?
I was thinking the same thing and we are talking about some pretty good players too. Pace, E. Manning, Sheppard, etc.
i've heard an interesting theory about these injuries. the pads and helmet these days give the players a sense of invulnerability. and b/c of that, they're willing to launch their bodies with reckless abandon. this eventually leads to serious injuries such as this one. think about the times you played contact football. you're a lot more cautious about how you tackle.
Yeah I noticed this as well. Seems like they need to take pads/ helmets into the 21st century ~ carbon fiber, kevlar seem like a much better option than plastic and foam.
Terrible news. I went to the same high school and graduated the same year with Kevin. Wish him the best, and hope that he has a full recovery.
i watched the news conference earlier. it was depressing. i hope he recovers at least enough to get around.
I heard he's being kept sedated and breathing with a respirator. That's sad.... it just puts things in perspective you know? He still doesn't know the severity of his injury. I can't imagine what he'll go through when he's told he may not walk again..
<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_mGeFyyeylQ"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_mGeFyyeylQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> this kind of hit gets made a hundred times each sunday kevin was just one of the unlucky ones im pulling for my fellow beaumont area guy..
Anyone remember Chuck Cecil of the Packers? That guy was a madman who used to tackle like that almost every time.
Macalu...you are 100% correct. I had a discussion with my father about this. He said the best thing the NFL and College FB could do would be to decrease the padding and go back to leather helmets. Players would not launch themselves at each other. These kinds of injuries are very rare, but they were even more rare in the 30s-50s when the padding was less. Defensive players actually had to make a tackle instead of launch themselves like human missles.
It looks like he ducked his head just at the last second. Now days coaches really stress to tackle with your eyes, so that your neck muscles help lock in your spine.
This and the death of the soccer player, antonio puerta, in the Sevilla game, have to be two of the saddest tragedies i've seen on the field of play. I hope Everett gets better. I couldn't click on the video, i hate watching injuries and things like that.
