UCLA coach Jim Mora thinks assistant is having a heart attack, but it’s just a torn tendon
UCLA added an unexpected member to its injury report Saturday – wide receivers coach Eric Yarber.
Yarber was demonstrating a drill when he crumpled to the ground much to the horror of players and other members of the coaching staff, including head coach Jim Mora.
"Gosh, that was scary," Mora said after practice. "Initially, we went over there and thought he either dislocated his hip or his knee. First of all, honestly, my first thought was, oh no, is he having a heart attack? Once I saw it wasn't that, it looked bad.”
Yarber wasn’t having a heart attack. In fact, he tore a tendon in his quad while going just a little too far in his demonstration of how to quickly get off the line of scrimmage. The injury happened on the team’s first day of pads and in front of a slew of junior college coaches and recruits.
Once Mora said knew his assistant coach was OK, the ribbing about Yarber’s age began.
“We're going to shoot it up and get his butt back out here Monday night. He gets no sympathy,” Mora said. "When you get a guy like Yarbs, you watch how he's always demonstrating, he's always moving, he's making the cuts. He's got to remember that he's almost 50. His body doesn't work like an 18- to 20-year-old anymore. I think he learned that rather dramatically today. He'll be on the injury list.”
Mora said he’s eager to see film of the injury, which I’m sure will provide more jokes for the coaching staff.
It’s unfortunate that whatever film might be available on this injury probably won’t ever be seen beyond the UCLA football facility. Still, we wish coach Yarber a speedy recovery. It’s a good thing he had the summer to heal up.
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H/T Coaching Search
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