Bad news for a great guy...
My heart bleeds for a good guy. A torn ACL is a tough injury to overcome. I have no doubt the big man will come back after a redshirt year but it could be sooner. I've torn an ACL. It was actually severed. My doctor, Bill Garth, team orthopedic surgeon for UAB (no jokes here please) did not want to repair it because I was already into my fifties. I asked the good bone doctor if he played golf? He said he'd get me into surgery as soon as my knee didn't resemble a basketball.
I was given a video of my surgery. To avoid pain isn't the only reason they knock you out. I watched it once and that was enough. My knee was hit with a rubber mallet to make sure the donar ACL was intact. I don't mean a tap. It was a full fledged turn your shoulder and hip and let 'er fly. The ACL came from a young deceased black teenager. I kinda like that. I may be a cracker but my left knee has got some soul. I will be eternally grateful for his graciousness before he died, and I hold him and his family close to my heart for the gift they gave me after his death.
The doctor told me after two rehab sessions he had never seen anyone heel from an injury as well as I healed. I told Bill that was because he hit the sweet spot with his swing. Two rehab sessions and my knee could withstand the same weight as my other knee. I was back on the golf course in two weeks. It did not effect my game in anyway. I hacked it around per my usual game. Marvin Ransom was my workout partner.I'd followed him from the eight grade and we knew each other. Marvin had been in rehab for a pretty long time, and as my partner he was supposed to help me and offer advise. After the first rehab session my knee swelled up again. Doc said we need to drain the fluid. He asked me if I wanted something for the pain. Marvin and few other young athletes were standing around watching this little drama unfold. I looked up at them and said, "No, I don't want it, go ahead." The next few minutes were so painful I cannot fully describe how it felt. It was like passing a kidney stone the size of a boulder. When the needle was withdrawn and the prosecutors from the Spanish Inquistion went home Marven bent down and very seriously said, "Hey, Mr. Ellis I'm supposed to help you. When that happens to me I always get the shot." So much for false bravery and bravado. The both of us laughed for a good half minute and then I fainted when trying to set up.
I hope Guye is as lucky as me. This kid has had some bad luck. But I'm told he's a fighter and fighters can overcome some tough odds. People can speculate about when he will return. No one really knows. My ACL was completely gone. His is torn. My knee didn't have to repair itself. His knee will have to grow back unless he got a donar ACL. Only time will tell. Let's all say a prayer for the tall man, and let me ask Dee Hart if you can recover. That is a different story for another day
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