More somber news for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights
In yet another dramatic turn, Rutgers’ Eric LeGrand was taken to Livingston, New Jersey’s St. Barnabas Medical Centre late Thursday night. According to a report released by the University on Friday 5 November, the defensive tackle was admitted with what
has been diagnosed as a high fever.
A member of the Scarlet Knights special teams unit, LeGrand suffered a spinal cord injury in Rutgers’ 16 October match-up against Army, as he was attempting to make a tackle. Although he had recently been transported to the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation
in West Orange, New Jersey, to continue with his recovery, the junior remains paralyzed from the neck down.
“LeGrand will remain at Saint Barnabas until he is able to return to the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange, New Jersey,” Rutgers said in a statement. Although the news might seem devastating for LeGrand, his family, and the Rutgers community,
Dr. Barth Green assured the media that the defensive tackle’s contraction of the fever is not an uncommon occurence considering the circumstances.
“High fevers in someone in his reported condition are very common,” the neurosurgeon stated in an e-mail sent to The Associated Press. “In addition, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and deep vein thrombosis are also complications that often come up, and
I am sure they are assessing for all three,” added Green, who also serves as a chairman for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, based at the University of Miami.
LeGrand’s hospitalization hasn’t been the only bad news to hit the Rutgers football team this past week. Just last Friday, Scarlet Knights wide receiver Jeremy Deering learned of his mother’s passing. Still, coach Greg Schiano lauds the fact that the freshman
was able to participate in this week’s game, albeit a 28-27 loss to the South Florida Bulls.
“Jeremy’s situation is one that’s very private,” Schiano said to The Associate Press. “But I think the fact that he wanted to play, the fact that he went out there and played with a great deal of focus and concentration said a little bit about him as man and
as a performer.”
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