Cal player to be released from hospital after scary practice collision
All is well after a frightening moment during California’s first full-contact scrimmage of the season.
Avery Sebastian, a Golden Bear junior likely to start at strong safety, delivered a hit on running back Jeffrey Coprich on Monday evening at Memorial Stadium. Coprich headed back to the huddle, but Sebastian didn’t move. He remained on the field for the next 15 minutes as medical staff worked on him and his team huddled together in the end zone.
The players were sent into the locker room just before the ambulance arrived, and Sebastian was strapped to a gurney, his head immobilized, and transferred to Highland Hospital in Oakland. Late Monday night, Cal released a statement regarding Sebastian’s status:
Cal football player Avery Sebastian is resting at Highland Hospital in Oakland following an injury that occurred during the Golden Bears’ practice Monday. The junior safety, who was transported by ambulance, has movement in all his extremities and is expected to be released soon.
“I want to thank everyone for their positive thoughts and prayers,” Sebastian said.
This an exciting time for football fans as they get to pore over clips of practice film and build up expectations about potential freshmen playmakers, but they also have to worry about season-ending injuries that occur before the first game is even played. Monday had already been a rough day on the injury front, as BYU lost starting cornerback Jordan Johnson to an ACL injury while Notre Dame announced the end of safety Nicky Baratti’s 2013 campaign after he re-injured a surgically repaired shoulder.
In some cases – like a player lying on the practice field, surrounded by trainers and not moving – it’s even scarier, especially when the whole thing is being covered on Twitter live by Golden Bear reporters and fans. Thankfully, Sebastian is okay and will soon be rejoining his teammates at new head coach Sonny Dykes' first fall camp in Berkeley.
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