Paralyzed Rutgers player breathing on his own
Paralyzed Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand has been taken off a ventilator and is able to breathe on his own.
Paralyzed Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand has been taken off a ventilator and is able to breathe on his own.
The school released an update on LeGrand's condition yesterday.
The 20-year-old defensive tackle was paralyzed from the neck down Oct. 16, making a tackle on a kickoff return against Army in a game at the New Meadowlands Stadium. He was treated at Hackensack University Medical Center for about 2 weeks before transferring to Kessler Institute, one of the nation's leaders in spinal cord rehabilitation.
LeGrand's injury was recently reclassified from a complete spinal cord injury to an incomplete spinal cord injury.
The school says LeGrand has had several visitors at Kessler, including former Penn State football player Adam Taliaferro, who suffered a spine injury while playing but recovered to walk again.
"We want to thank everyone for all of the love and support for Eric, it has really been beneficial to his recovery," the LeGrand family said in a statement. "Please continue to keep Eric in your prayers."
Noteworthy
* Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini apologized for his actions after a 9-6 loss at Texas A&M last weekend. A day earlier, his brother and head coach Bo Pelini offered an apology for his sideline behavior during the game.
While he was on his way to the locker room, Carl Pelini grabbed a video camera held by a reporter for a Texas A&M fan website. Parts of the camera's eyepiece were torn off.
"It was a very emotional situation, and the mob scene on the field after the game amplified that," Pelini said in a statement. "Having been involved in a similar situation in 2003 at Missouri, and in witnessing the situation on the field, I made a poor decision in trying to prevent a reporter from recording the scene."
Brandon Jones, co-owner of TexAgs.com, said Pelini called to apologize.
"I'm very content with the apology," Jones said. "It was complete and sincere. That's all I was looking for."
Jones said Bo Pelini also called to apologize, and he received a call from athletic director Tom Osborne. Jones said Carl Pelini offered to pay for any damage to the camera, but there was none.
Bo Pelini had said Monday that Carl was trying to pull a Nebraska player out of a group of people when he met up with Jones.
"Apparently he went through the camera to get [to the player], and if something happened to the camera, I know Carl regrets that it happened," Bo Pelini told reporters. "That's what happened, and I talked to the player that was involved, too."
Video of the incident didn't support Bo Pelini's account. Carl Pelini said Bo "did not have all the facts" and that he "wasn't fully prepared for the question."
* Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray said he's "pretty much pain-free" and will definitely start against rival Georgia Tech. Murray sustained a bruised left knee and bruised sternum in a Nov. 13 loss to Auburn. He didn't practice during an off week, but he returned to the field Monday and had no major problems.
* Southeast Missouri coach Tony Samuel has been named the Ohio Valley Conference coach of the year, and his running back Henry Harris tabbed the league's offensive player of the year. The league released the awards yesterday. Eastern Kentucky defensive lineman Andrew Soucy is the defensive player of the year, while quarterback and punter Coty Blanchard of Jacksonville State is the freshman of the year.
Harris is a finalist for the Walter Payton Award and is the first player from Southeast Missouri to win this award since the school joined the OVC in 1991. He leads the nation with 219.8 all-purpose yards and finished with 1,627 yards rushing.
* Ball State fired coach Stan Parrish, a few days after finishing the season 4-8.
* ESPN.com reported that USC athletic director Pat Haden expects the NCAA today to reinstate tailback Dillon Baxter for this week's game against Notre Dame. Haden said Baxter made a $5 donation to a local charity as repayment for a golf-cart ride across campus he took from a certified agent. USC filed paperwork with the NCAA yesterday.