Doctors don't operate on your spine and add "stability" metal simply like you put a cast on a broken arm.
That is darn serious.
Even if technically he COULD someday return to football, it would be terribly unwise. I realize that the money to be made in football is going to far outstrip anything he's likely to make after leaving the game. But leading a normal life and being able to have normal activity makes it almost a no brainer. Ask anyone who's ever had a back injury. It is never going to be 100% again. But when it gets down to adding artificial stabilization? Spinal fusion? Yikes. This is NOT a simple disc injury; this is a spinal cord injury. Disc injuries shouldn't lead to paralysis; spinal cord injuries do.
Hopefully he had taken out an insurance policy on himself to protect against such unfortunate possibilities. He's made $10 mil in his short career. Hopefully he hasn't burned through it, and was smart with it so he'll hardly be a pauper. Even so, money isn't everything.
Hoping for the very best for this young man.
