It's been almost four months since Rodney Rogers fell off a dirt bike and broke his neck, leaving him paralyzed from the shoulders down. Those who have followed the NBA know Rogers as one of the quiet gentlemen of the game, a guy who doesn't deserve this. Not that anyone does, but isn't it always that way?
Those who know Rogers won't be surprised at all by comments he made in his first interview since the accident, with Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer. Rogers knows he may be a quadriplegic for the rest of his life. But that hasn't stopped him from dreaming about moving his arms and legs. Hasn't caused him to say, "Why me?" or blame anyone. Hasn't stopped him from praying that he'll walk again.
“I pray for that every day," Rogers said. "I told God that I need to be able to walk and use my hands again. Because I've got a lot of stuff to do.”
On Monday, Rogers left the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, a hospital that specializes in spinal cord and head injuries. It's the same place I visited while covering football to chronicle the comeback of former Jets defensive back Jamie Henderson, who sustained career-ending brain injuries in a motorcycle crash. Henderson was lucky. His football career is over, but he will not spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Both now appreciate more than ever the ways they can make a difference without holding a football or basketball in their hands.
Rogers, 37, has moved to a wheelchair-accessible home in the Raleigh, N.C., area, about 100 miles from where he played college ball at Wake Forest. He'll live there with his fiancee, Faye Suggs, who will care for him along with a round-the-clock nurse.
“He wouldn't have ever left me in the same situation, so I won't ever leave him," Suggs said. "Now don't get me wrong. We have been depressed. But we pray a lot, and we move on. Rodney still wants to be involved in the community. He can still do things. Plus, the spinal cord is mysterious. It takes time to heal. We're dealing with the worst-case scenario, but we're praying for the best.”
So are we. Click here to read more. And make this an uplifting place by posting any words of encouragement you'd like Rodney to see.
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