My Surgery
Written by Jon Beason
Thursday February 26 2009
I tore the labrum in my shoulder the first time we played Arizona, I think it was in October.
I put my arm down to push myself up and it kind of collapsed. I popped it back into place and got back in the huddle. I think we were winning, 24-23, and two plays later I made an interception that led to a field goal and we won the game.
It’s funny how certain players can play through pain and some can’t. I have values for the parts of my body. In terms of my wings—shoulder, elbows, hands—it’s not negotiable. Unless it’s sticking through the skin or bleeding bad, I’m staying in the game.
It was eight or nine weeks into the season, I was thinking about the playoffs, going to the Super Bowl, making the Pro Bowl. There was no way I was going to come out of the game ever.
The rest of the season I rehabbed it and treated it. It popped back out a couple more times, and I was basically playing with no strength. When I tackled someone it was almost like throwing a pillow at them. I had no grip in that arm, no way to stop someone. I played like that the rest of the season, just fighting to get the job done. It took away my range of motion. But I know my teammates would do the same for me.
And I wasn’t going to sit home through my first Pro Bowl, so I had the surgery done on February 12. It’s in a sling 4-6 weeks and I have to rehab it close to four months. After that I’ll be able to lift anything I want. I just got the stitches out yesterday, so I just started moving it again.
I absolutely will be ready for training camp and I’ll be at full strength for our first exhibition game. I really think I can be ready for OTAs at the end of May, but I don’t know how much they’ll let me play against guys who are trying to make the team.
I have to make sure there are no setbacks. We have new defensive coaches, new schemes. It will be a process learning that stuff and getting acclimated to new terminology.
I just want to let Panthers fans know that there’s no quit in us. Continue to believe in this team, in our coaches. We’re going to keep going at it and we’re never going to stop.
There’s a breakthrough coming real soon.
Carolina Panthers All-Pro middle linebacker Jon Beason writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com.
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1 comment
"We got some 'Canes over here!.....Whoomp! Whoomp!" Good stuff, Jon. Keep it up!
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