Zac Etheridge feeling great, awaiting word on his football future
Zac Etheridge doesn’t want there to be any “gray area” when he gets a thorough inspection from his doctor next month, an appointment that will likely dictate whether or not he will be able to play football again.
Ever since he lost the halo around his head and neck, Etheridge has been rehabbing three to four hours per day. He does a number of those hours with the team, but a good chunk of it is done on his own, when he’s watching TV.
Etheridge, who tore a number of ligaments in his neck and cracked his C5 vertebrae on a scary hit last season, knows he might be told to forget about football, that it’s too much of a risk. He just doesn’t want it to be for reasons he could have controlled.
“Just being able to lift and do a lot of things that could have been taken away from me, it’s just been good,“ Etheridge said. “Every morning I wake up, it’s a blessing to get out of bed and do the things I love.“
Etheridge will learn his fate July 20, when he’ll don a helmet and shoulder pads in front of his doctor and undergo a number of tests. That’s the only thing he hasn’t done during his rehab process, as he’s been working out with his teammates “full go” this summer. Though one of the more modest players on Auburn’s roster, Etheridge had a tough time forcing back a smile when he admitted that he’s lifting more than a lot of his teammates who haven’t been injured.
“It healed so fast and so perfect, so it’s like unbelievable. It’s so healed,“ Etheridge said. “That’s the amazing thing about it. I’m just anxious to see (the doctor’s) decision.“
I talked with Etheridge yesterday in an extensive interview for a story in Sunday’s Opelika-Auburn News. There will be plenty more good stuff in that, so make sure to check it out.
0 Comments
You can be the first one to leave a comment.