Bills Everett Might Be Paralyzed

For many of us football lovers, big hits are what get us off our seats and pumped up for more action. It's kind of a macho thing for many of us in a my-dad-can-beat-up-your-dad sort of way, if you will. Sunday, however, we were reminded just how dangerous those hits can be when Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett was carted off the field following a collision on the opening kickoff of the second half with the team's contest against the Denver Broncos. With a serious neck injury, Everett was rushed by ambulance to a local hospital to undergo emergency surgery in which doctors removed bone chips from his third and fourth vertebrae. Thankfully he survived the operation, but he was placed on a respirator and is now in the intensive care unit.

There is also the very real possibility that he may never walk again.

According to his agent Brian Overstreet (per the Buffalo News), Everett has had some sparse movement and the next couple days will be critical to his recovery.

“Our concern is for him to come out of this healthy and, hopefully, be able to walk again”, said Overstreet.

The fact that Overstreet's comments center around his client's ability to get out of bed by himself, rather than a prognosis on his return to the game is a brutal reminder that there is another human being inside that uniform, and although his conditioning is generally far better than the average American, he still bends and breaks in much the same way when body parts are turned in directions they're not supposed to go.

And with the size and speed of the athletes today, along with the force of the collisions that occur on a regular basis, it's a wonder we don't see this type of situation more often.

Hopefully, Everett will make a full recovery.

Photo: Getty Images