It all happened so quickly. One second I'm defending Jimmy Graham and then the next thing I feel is an unusually strong cramping sensation in my right foot. At first I did not think too much of it but as began to hobble back to our sideline, struggling to put any significant body weight onto my foot, as the pain was almost unbearable, the Super Dome went silent and all I could see was Coach Mike Caldwell signaling me to get down. At that point I surrendered to the painful circumstances, and as I collapsed to the ground a rush of team trainers and doctors made their way onto the field to determine the severity of my injury.
As they removed my shoe and sock to examine my foot they asked all the questions. Where does it hurt? Does it hurt when I do this? Did you hear a pop? Can you put pressure on it? All I am thinking while answering their questions is that my season is over. Its weird how as an athlete how in-tune you are with your body. Obviously playing football for over 17 years including high school and college I have been hurt before but this time was different. Even though I made a conscious effort to remain hopeful, I knew something was seriously wrong in my heart. "Do you see this gap here?", the doctor said as he pointed to x-ray comparison of my left and right foot. I had torn my
lisfranc ligament ending my 2013 season.
Once I heard the definitive news all types of thoughts flooded my mind ranging in various emotions. This entire experience felt surreal and I could not grasp the idea of not being able to play ball. How could I allow my teammates to go out to battle without me? How could I let down the Cardinals organization who invested in me? But I quickly arrested these depressing and destructive thoughts and realized this was out of my control. Shifting to a more positive outlook I felt blessed to play football for so long and never suffered an injury that prevented me from competing for more than a week.
The goal now was to take advantage of this time off and spend it in the most productive way possible. Now I had the time and freedom to spend building my relationship with God, enjoy my wife and kids, rehab any lingering injuries and return to my 2012 season form, and work on post NFL career options. But first thing first, I needed to fly out to Charlotte, North Carolina to see Dr. Robert Anderson and have surgery.
It all happened so quickly. One second I'm defending Jimmy Graham and then the next thing I feel is an unusually strong cramping sensation in my right foot. At first I did not think too much of it but as began to hobble back to our sideline, struggling to put any significant body weight onto my foot, as the pain was almost unbearable, the Super Dome went silent and all I could see was Coach Mike Caldwell signaling me to get down. At that point I surrendered to the painful circumstances, and as I collapsed to the ground a rush of team trainers and doctors made their way onto the field to determine the severity of my injury.
From a Redskins fan, get well soon! I still cheer for you and always will since you are a glowing example of what's right with this league.
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