Living in the NFL with constant threat of serious injury

The Bills' Kevin Everett may be paralyzed after colliding with Denver's Domenik Hixon on Sunday. AP

By Ross Tucker, Special to SI.com

(Editor's note: Ross Tucker is a Princeton grad who has played six NFL seasons, including 28 games with Buffalo.)

I was watching the Sunday night game at home when I heard the TV news report about my former teammate.

"Cervical spine injury."

I turned to my wife. We communicated without saying a word. The report on Bills tight end Kevin Everett on Sunday night left us both shaken. Two weeks earlier I had injured my "cervical spine" against the Ravens in the preseason while setting the wedge on a kickoff return. I am rehabbing while on the Redskins' injured reserve list.

Kevin's injury and potential paralysis has been the talk amongst my teammates, NFL players and fans this week. Besides being a teammate of Kevin's in 2005, we have several things in common. We first met during his rookie year in Buffalo in 2005. He was rehabbing an ACL tear that occurred during the first practice of his pro career while I was rehabbing my back after having surgery to repair a herniated disc suffered during the 2004 season. His emergency surgery on Sunday night was performed by the same doctor who did my back surgery, Dr. Andrew Cappuccino, and I take some comfort in knowing that he is in good hands.

When Kevin was injured in '05, I was struck by how well he dealt with a significant setback . I was also struck by what a genuinely good guy he was. There are some stereotypes at times around the league about guys from the University of Miami and I can say that Kevin fits none of them.

In talking recently with some of his current and former teammates it's clear to me that he is held in high regard by those who know him personally. Although Kevin's injury is a source of sorrow around the NFL, it is clear that those of us who know him better feel a deeper pain.

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