Bills tight end Everett suffers cervical spinal injury

[MapleLeaf]

From espn.com

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Kevin Everett was in a hospital under observation for a cervical spinal injury after the Buffalo Bills tight end was knocked cold and taken off the field in an ambulance Sunday.

Coach <Censored> Jauron provided no further update on Everett's status following the Bills 15-14 season-opening loss to Denver. And Jauron wouldn't say whether the player regained consciousness on the field or en route to the hospital.

Everett fell immediately to the ground and showed no signs of consciousness after a helmet-to-helmet hit when he tackled Denver's Domenik Hixon during a kickoff to open the second half. Everett was placed on a backboard with his head and body immobilized, and carefully loaded into an ambulance at the Broncos 30.

The game was delayed for about 15 minutes, and the Bills gathered at the sideline while doctors attended to the player.

Everett's injury was the most severe, but far from the only one sustained by Bills players during the game.

Starting free safety Ko Simpson is out indefinitely after breaking his left ankle. Starting cornerback Jason Webster is out indefinitely after breaking his forearm in the fourth quarter. And then there's linebacker Coy Wire, filling in for injured starter Keith Ellison, who sprained his knee in the first quarter.

Simpson was hurt when he had his feet cut out from beneath him by teammate Jason Webster as the two were attempting to tackle Broncos receiver Javon Walker. Simpson fell immediately to the ground and was unable to put any weight on his left foot.

Team trainers were forced to lift the player onto the cart and he was taken for X-rays.

Buffalo's fourth-round pick in the 2006 draft, Simpson started 15 games last season, and was a member of the NFL's youngest safety tandem, playing alongside rookie first-round pick Donte Whitner.

Third-year player Jim Leonhard took over for Simpson.

Wire was examined on the sideline, but made his way to the locker room on his own. Reserve Mario Haggan replaced Wire.

It's unclear when Webster was hurt. The Bills had signed the seven-year NFL veteran last spring to take over as starter after losing Nate Clements to San Francisco in free agency.

The injuries were the latest blows to an already banged-up and young defense that was starting four players with less than two years of NFL experience. Buffalo also lacks experienced reserves at defensive end, with Ryan Denney out indefinitely with a broken left foot and Anthony Hargrove suspended for the first four games for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

Hope he recovers, spinal cord injuries are always scary.

 

[RipCity32]

Sad story, hope everything turns out ok for him.

 

[MapleLeaf]

From ESPN.com

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Kevin Everett had surgery Sunday evening, hours after the Buffalo Bills reserve tight end showed no signs of movement after sustaining a severe neck injury in the team's season opener against Denver.

Bills spokesman Scott Berchtold said he was informed by the team's medical staff the player went into surgery at a Buffalo hospital at about 8 p.m. Berchtold said he had no further information, and didn't know whether Everett had shown any signs of movement since he was driven off the field in an ambulance.

General manager Marv Levy said doctors informed the team that it's too early to determine the severity of the injury and that they will know more after monitoring the player overnight.

"Certainly, we feel the injury is serious, but I don't want to speculate, and that's what the doctors told us," Levy told The Associated Press. "They told us to wait to hear from them before making any speculative announcement."

Coach <Censored> Jauron said immediately following the game that the player sustained a cervical spine injury, but wouldn't discuss the severity of the injury.

The player's agent Brian Overstreet was not immediately available for comment.

Everett fell immediately to the ground and showed no signs of consciousness after a helmet-to-helmet hit when he tackled Denver's Domenik Hixon during a kickoff to open the second half. Everett was placed on a backboard with his head and body immobilized, and carefully loaded into an ambulance at the Broncos 30.

The game was delayed for about 15 minutes, and the Bills gathered at the sideline while doctors attended to the player.

Everett's injury cast a pall over the Bills following a season-opening 15-14 loss, with several players expressing concern about their teammate.

"It was real hard," cornerback Terrence McGee said. "I watched the whole thing and he never moved. ... It's real sad to see him go off on a stretcher, but we hope he's OK."

"It's real sad," added receiver Roscoe Parrish, who played with Everett at the University of Miami. "When something like that happens to a close friend of yours, and you know how much he loves football, it bothers you."

Denver players expressed concern, including kicker Jason Elam, who kicked the winning field goal as time ran out.

Before taking questions after the game, Elam said: "What we heard is not good, so for our whole team, our prayers go out to him."

Buffalo's third-round draft pick in 2005, Everett missed his entire rookie season with a knee injury, and spent most of his second season limited to special teams duty.

The Bills liked Everett's 6-foot-4 frame, and were counting on him to play a role in their passing attack this season.

Buffalo also lost three defensive starters to injury.

Starting free safety Ko Simpson is out indefinitely after breaking his left ankle. Starting cornerback Jason Webster is out indefinitely after breaking his forearm in the fourth quarter. And then there's linebacker Coy Wire, filling in for injured starter Keith Ellison, who sprained his knee in the first quarter.

Simpson was hurt when he had his feet cut out from beneath him by teammate Jason Webster as the two were attempting to tackle Broncos receiver Javon Walker. Simpson fell immediately to the ground and was unable to put any weight on his left foot.

Team trainers were forced to lift the player onto the cart and he was taken for X-rays.

Buffalo's fourth-round pick in the 2006 draft, Simpson started 15 games last season, and was a member of the NFL's youngest safety tandem, playing alongside rookie first-round pick Donte Whitner.

Third-year player Jim Leonhard took over for Simpson.

Wire was examined on the sideline, but made his way to the locker room on his own. Reserve Mario Haggan replaced Wire.

It's unclear when Webster was hurt. The Bills had signed the seven-year NFL veteran last spring to take over as starter after losing Nate Clements to San Francisco in free agency.

 

[Big Bid'Ness]

Yea i was watching this game i hope recovers from this.

 

[ZigZag]

This shows just how savage Broncos players are.

 

[jarrod2323]

i saw replays on espn tonite -- scary

they're worried WHEN he'll walk again

 

[bulls12]

geez i am hoping he will come back..he is perhaps an NFL hero now..

 

[JoshHoward5]

Ouch, that sucks. Hopefully he'll be ok.

 

[.s31t]

When I saw this on ESPN I was like "Damn." I couldn't sleep because it's such a scary thing to see to see in general. I hope he recovers and walks again. If he returns to the field again that be someone kids should look up to. I hope Everett the best and my prayers are with him.

 

[MapleLeaf]

Everett likely paralyzed with 'catastrophic' injury

From ESPN.com

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills' Kevin Everett sustained a "catastrophic" and life-threatening spinal-cord injury and his chances of regaining a full range of body motion are very small, an orthopedic surgeon said Monday.

"A best-case scenario is full recovery, but not likely," Dr. Andrew Cappuccino said, one day after performing a four-hour operation on the player. "I believe there will be some permanent neurological paralysis. ... A full neurological recovery was bleak, dismal."

Cappuccino noted the 25-year-old reserve tight end did have touch sensation throughout his body and also showed signs of movement.

Wow, really sad. He's only 25 to. Had a bright future to I heard in the league to.

 

[RipCity32]

Wow that is very sad. I hope he is able to walk again.

 

[RipCity32]

Kevin Everett might walk again after all.

The doctor who performed the spinal surgery on Everett told Buffalo TV station WIVB on Tuesday that Everett has voluntary movement of his arms and legs and as a result he is optimistic that Everett will walk again.

Dr. Andrew Cappuccino told WIVB that Everett's sedation levels were lowered on Tuesday, allowing him to respond to verbal commands. WIVB also reported that Everett's latest MRI shows only a small amount of swelling on his spinal cord.

On Monday, Cappuccino said that Everett sustained a "catastrophic" and life-threatening spinal-cord injury and was unlikely to walk again.

"A best-case scenario is full recovery, but not likely," Cappuccino said Monday. "I believe there will be some permanent neurologic deficit."

VERY VERY VERY good news to hear, at least he will be walking again, and living!

 

[Dice-J]

hope he makes a full recovery

 

[jarrod2323]

Just in case you hadn't heard, he's walking again:

The hot streak that has the Buffalo Bills in pursuit of an AFC playoff spot isn’t the only reason the team has captured the attention of the American sporting public.

Much more remarkable than the team’s comeback from a 1-4 start to its current 7-6 record is the continuing progress being made by injured tight end Kevin Everett, who suffered a potentially fatal spinal injury in the season- opening loss to the Denver Broncos in Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sept. 9.

Read the Sports Illustrated cover story about Kevin Everett

Everett went limp after he bent his upper body forward and collided with Denver return man Domenik Hixon on a kickoff.

A hush fell over the sellout crowd as the players gathered in prayer, Everett’s life hanging in the balance.

Fast-forward 10 weeks.

NBC showed a taped message from Everett thanking people for their good wishes and encouraging his teammates prior to their 56-10 loss to the undefeated New England Patriots in a nationally televised Sunday night game on Nov. 18.

“How are you doing, Buffalo? This is Kevin Everett,” the player boomed out to the sellout crowd of 71,338 on the Jumbotron scoreboard. “I’m out here in Houston, working hard out here rehabbing. Just thinking about you guys. Just want to say thank you to all my teammates and the City of Buffalo as well as the fans of America. . . . Just letting you guys know it’s been special to me and I just want to say, come on, let’s beat New England.”

It was about that time that Everett, who has now lost about 35 pounds from his playing weight of 260, began walking on his own at a Houston rehabilitation center. That day came about 2z month 1/3 af-

ter he had spent a few days on life support at Millard Fillmore Hospital, where he had arrived paralyzed from the neck down, his body temperature having been lowered to 91.5 degrees with an iced saline solution under an induced form of mild hypothermia to prevent further swelling.

The 25-year-old Everett is the cover subject in the Dec. 17 issue of Sports Illustrated, which is scheduled to hit newsstands today.

Among other topics, the article chronicles the controversy surrounding the hypothermic procedure, initiated by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Andrew Cappuccino, that likely played a role in saving Everett’s life.

During an interview with Tim Layden at his home in the Houston suburb of Humble, Texas, Everett was able to get up from the table, walk easily to the kitchen, open the refrigerator, take out a drink and walk back.

In a shade over three months since the injury, Everett can now walk unaided for about 50 yards.

Everett maintains that he hardly remembers anything that had happened during his first three or four days in the hospital. But he hasn’t lost hope and remains positive.

“I’m making strides every day,” Everett tells SI. “Way back when I was first in the hospital the doctors were saying I might not ever walk again, and they didn’t know the outcome for me moving my limbs anymore.

“So how much do I believe about all this? The sky is the limit.”

The same could be said about Everett’s teammates, who hit the road to face the Cleveland Browns on Sunday in their most meaningful game in years. They’ll bring not only the momentum of six victories in their last eight games, but the positive feelings concerning their fallen teammate’s recovery.

“[Everett’s injury] made us appreciate everything a little more,” Bills wide receiver Lee Evans recently told The News. “It made us a stronger team because we started to work a little harder and trust in each other.

“Just like Kevin, we have come through a difficult period and we can see good things ahead of us as long as we keep getting better,” Evans said.