Just when it looked like Jermichael Finley was going to make a full recovery from his neck injury, it is now being reported that he is to have surgery on his neck, which could effectively end his career.
Finley suffered a spinal contusion in that devastating week 7 where it seemed like half of the NFL went down with an injury. Finley was stretchered off the field and spent the night in the hospital, but the prognosis of him returning in the second half of the season was not out of the question. Calais Campbell of the Arizona Cardinals suffered a similar bruised spine injury and returned to the field just a week later.
Former Packers tight end Mark Chmura isn’t optimistic at all about Finley’s future:
“I will give you a little snippet, I got a chance to talk to Jermichael Finley before the game, and I would bet my bottom dollar his career’s over. Over. He needs surgery, and it’s herniated in (the C3 and C4 vertebrae) … He’s definitely not gonna play in Green Bay, I’d put my house on that.”
It’s a bit unsettling to hear someone write you off so strongly and Chmura is no doctor so there’s no way to really tell for sure what is going to happen, but one thing is clear: Finley’s career isn’t even a blip on the radar when it comes to his life.
As unfortunate as this situation is, it could be a silver lining for Finley’s family (should he recover) that was quite shaken after his injury.
“When I came back to reality, when I got my senses, when I got my balance and my vision back, I picked up my phone and my wife had called at least 30-plus times. … She put my [son] on the phone and he asked if there was a flight I could catch — during the game — and he said, ‘Daddy, I don’t want you to play football anymore.’ That was a little hard to take.”
If Finley does come back from this injury, it will be a long road. He is set to be a free agent this year and was quietly having a productive year for the Packers. First things first, though. Get better soon, Jermichael!
[NFL, CBS Sports]
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