Aaron Rodgers defied conventional medicine by returning to practice just 77 days after surgery for a torn Achilles tendon.
How he did it should be the No. 1 question instead of questioning his motivation.
Even if Rodgers doesn’t play again for the New York Jets (4-7) this season because it wouldn’t make sense if they’re eliminated from the playoff race, his recovery so far sets a standard. Every player who tears an Achilles tendon should call Rodgers and ask him about his surgical procedure, how he rehabilitated, what he ate and drank. No question is a stupid one.
Rodgers had a “speed bridge” procedure that’s designed to expedite the recovery process. He said Thursday he attributes his progress to working hard in rehab and a strict diet.
“It is remarkable how quickly he has recovered from his surgery,” said Dr. Peter DeLuca, chief of sports medicine at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center who spent more than 20 years as the team physician for the Philadelphia Eagles and Philadelphia Flyers. “The type of repair he had with the ‘speed bridge’ has allowed him to participate in an accelerated rehabilitation program. It is obvious that Aaron has worked very hard in his rehab. I am sure during this recovery process, the medical staff has closely monitored the repair site to make sure it is not stretching out. The goals of rehab are to get full range of motion and strength back without compromising the repair.”
The soon-to-be 40-year-old Rodgers may have cracked the code for an injury that’s typically season-ending and normally takes players at least nine months to recover. No professional athlete is known to have returned from it in less than five months.
Former Rams running back Cam Akers tore an Achilles tendon in late July, 2021, was cleared to practice on Dec. 21 and came back for the final regular-season game on Jan. 9, 2022. Akers had 67 carries for 172 yards in four playoff games, including a Super Bowl victory.
Rodgers didn’t rule out returning before his initial goal of Dec. 24. The Jets need to cooperate and win some games. If he comes back, he’d beat Akers by two months.
Based on seeing Rodgers throw at practice on television, DeLuca, who isn’t involved in Rodgers’ treatment, still thinks it’s a long shot the four-time NFL MVP plays this season.
“He has come a long way and faster along than most people after an Achilles tendon repair, but from what I see on TV, he is a long way from playing professional football,” DeLuca said. “I truly believe he won’t return unless his surgeon feels that he is at minimum risk for reinjury and the Jets are in the playoffs.”
Proving people wrong has pushed Rodgers. He’s admitted that’s part of “his why,” as Jets coach Robert Saleh called it.
But critics have attacked Rodgers’ desire to return, saying he’s selfish and craves attention.
The same critics who are quick to point out when a player is slacking or isn’t doing enough to earn a huge salary suddenly are going after a guy who works hard to get back on the field as quickly as possible.
Rodgers also was fueled by his age and love for competition. He knows he’s at the back end of his career. He came to New York to turn a losing franchise into a winner before he runs out of time.
“I think he’s sacrificed so much already for the organization and himself and his teammates and he’s doing it again,” Saleh said. “I think it’s a testament to who he is as a human. Yeah, obviously, there’s a little bit of that drive where he wants to prove that it can be done faster than anyone’s ever done before. That’s OK. That is just part of his mental makeup. I think he still runs with a chip on his shoulder and that’s the way he lives his life where he always wants to prove people wrong, in terms of, doubting him and he’s a special human.”
In an era of self-promotion on social media where going viral with a “hot take” is a bigger priority than providing substance for some analysts and broadcasters, Rodgers was even criticized for being on the sideline with his team throughout the season, even though backup quarterback Zach Wilson and others have pointed out having him around is helpful.
“I think the cool thing about Aaron is he brings so much wisdom and perspective to the quarterback room,” said Tim Boyle, who replaced the ineffective Wilson as the starter. “Trevor [Siemian] obviously has been around for a while and Zach’s played his fair share of football, too. But, you know, Aaron … he just brings so much wisdom and confidence. He asks the tough questions in the quarterback room trying to make me think at the next level, which I really appreciate.”
If Rodgers took his US$37.5-million and disappeared to California after his surgery, he would’ve been destroyed by the media. He stuck around to be a good teammate and still hears it from the haters.
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, led the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan vote her first year on the ballot — an important part to possible selection to the hall’s next class.
The organization released the voting results on Friday. American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan finished second with Canada’s Daniel Nestor third.
The Hall of Fame said tens of thousands of fans from 120 countries cast ballots. Fan voting is one of two steps in the hall’s selection process. The second is an official group of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers from the sport who vote on the ballot for the hall’s class of 2025.
“I am incredibly grateful to the fans all around the world who supported me during the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan votes,” Sharapova said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the fans’ support makes it all the more special.”
Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the world. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She also won the French Open twice, in 2012 and 2014.
Sharapova was also part of Russia’s championship Fed Cup team in 2008 and won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
To make the hall, candidates must receive 75% or higher on combined results of the official voting group and additional percentage from the fan vote. Sharapova will have an additional three percentage points from winning the fan vote.
The Bryans, who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, will have two additional percentage points and Nestor, who won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, will get one extra percentage point.
The hall’s next class will be announced late next month.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
