Savage Out For The Year

[willjima 0]

http://www.albanyherald.net/archives/Sport...rts080608c.html

Albany’s Savage out for season at Auburn

Aairon Savage, a former Westover standout turned three-year starter at Auburn, goes down with a severe knee injury during Tigers practice late Monday and will miss the entire 2008 season.

Scott Chancey

AUBURN, Ala. — Aairon Savage was supposed to help anchor an unstable Auburn secondary.

Now, the junior is out for the season according to his older brother, Antwone, because of a severe knee injury in a Monday passing drill.

Savage, who starred at Westover High School and was tied atop the Tigers’ preseason depth chart at right cornerback with Walter McFadden, dislocated his right kneecap and tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL).

“It’s hard, man, seeing him in the hospital bed (at Opelika’s East Alabama Medical Center),” said Antwone Savage, who started at receiver on Oklahoma’s 2000 national championship team and was a star with this past

season’s af2 South Division-winning South Georgia Wildcats. “It hurts.”

Antwone added the family is scheduled to fly from Opelika this morning to Pensacola, Fla.’s Andrews Institute to see Aairon through surgery Thursday by renowned orthopedic surgeon, Dr. James Andrews.

Beyond Aairon’s position, only Jerraud Powers and Zac Etheridge are the only other two secondary starters with ample playing experience.

“His spirits are very low right now,” Aairon’s mother, Adrienne, told The Herald on Tuesday. “He prepared so hard, and then to get injured this early ... he’s taking it very hard.”

According to reports, Savage landed awkwardly on his leg while trying to break up a pass, forcing his leg to be quickly immobilized in a cast before he was carted off the field.

“We can’t afford to lose anybody, especially a guy with that experience,” Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville told reporters after Tuesday’s practice.

Aairon’s father, Alphonse, still is trying to make sense of everything.

“You just ask yourself, ‘Why did it happen to him? Why does it have to happen to someone so dedicated to football?’ ”

Savage’s father, Alphonse, said. “I don’t know what to say. I’m still shaken up.”

Aairon, who was a “Dynamite Dozen” pick by The Herald while at Westover, red-shirted in 2005 at Auburn and then started in 11 of the 12 games he played at safety in 2006. Then, in 2007, he missed six games due to injury and started three of the seven games he played in. He has a total of 79 tackles, two sacks, an interception one forced and one recovered fumble during his Tigers career. He was moved to cornerback before the start of spring practice.

“As an older brother, I have to be strong with him,” Antwone said. “In football, injuries happen. But I’ve seen guys come back from injuries such as (running back) Willis McGahee.”

McGahee starred at Miami before blowing out his knee in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl National Championship Game against Ohio State. These days, he’s one of the NFL’s highest-paid running backs with the Baltimore Ravens.

“It’s about how you prepare to come back,” Antwone said.

Antwone’s presence, perhaps, will be as crucial to Aairon’s recovery as anything.

“Antwone calls him every 10-15 minutes to make sure he’s resting, he’s eating,” Adrienne said. “It’s almost like they’re twins. When one thing happens to one, the other feels it, too.”

Aairon was on track to graduate this fall with a degree in exercise science.

However, he and his family can also ask the NCAA, since he already red-shirted in 2005, for “clock extension,” which lets him get his junior year back because normally an athlete only has five academic years to complete athletically in four. Aairon, if he gets his junior year back, can use six years to complete his four years of eligibility.

But for now, football is the last thing on the Savage family’s mind.

“I just pray he’s able to recover,” Adrienne said. “I’m just glad he’s still alive, it could have been much worse than it really is.”

[Ashandarei 0]

Damn, that sucks. I hate hearing stuff like this.

[aubiescottie 1]

Every year you lose one guy, and it sucks. Hopefully this will be it. If there's a silver lining, its good it happened now rather than 3 weeks from now. At least we know what we have to work with.

[War Eagle 96 10]

Question...just curious. Where does the money come from to pay for surgery with Dr. Andrews? If Andrews was "in network" on his parents insurance I figure they would pay the deductible and the insurance would pay the rest. But, if Andrews wasn't "in network," or didn't have insurance how would they pay what they couldn't afford. Or does Auburn pay for it since he was injured during practice?

[PChamp119 96]

Hopefully a medical redshirt won't be difficult to come across.

This sucks for such a great kid. But the team must move on and this gives more practice time.

[Birmingham 0]

Sorry to hear this guys, Prayers sent for his spirits to be lifted when they are most decidedly down.

[weagl1 1,793]

Tough break for a really good kid. As hard as he works, he will be back next year and better than ever!

[kwagoner 214]

Damn, that sucks. I hate hearing stuff like this.

Sorry to hear this guys, Prayers sent for his spirits to be lifted when they are most decidedly down.

I, for one, will acknowledge your class in this situation. I hate to hear this for an athlete, especially one with good attitude and character, regardless of the team he plays for. It will be a tough adjustment for us.

On a some-what positive note:

Paul Rhoads said that while in a nickel or dime, in his system safety is one of the less complicated positions to play in. We still have some experienced corners and I'm sure somebody can step up to fill his shoes.

I'm glad to see he has a good family to rally around and support him through this tough time. I hope he can make a full recovery.

[dyehardaufan 0]

sad to hear, hopefully he will get his medical redshirt and come back stronger than ever.

Does anyone know what exactly happened when he was injured? skell drill, scrimmage, db drills, etc?

[PChamp119 96]

Paul Rhoads said that while in a nickel or dime, in his system safety is one of the less complicated positions to play in. We still have some experienced corners and I'm sure somebody can step up to fill his shoes.

Sorry to break it to you, but he was a starting corner. He may not have had experience at the position, but he was the starter. So our "experienced corners" aren't very experienced outside of Jerraud Powers.

[aubiescottie 1]

Question...just curious. Where does the money come from to pay for surgery with Dr. Andrews? If Andrews was "in network" on his parents insurance I figure they would pay the deductible and the insurance would pay the rest. But, if Andrews wasn't "in network," or didn't have insurance how would they pay what they couldn't afford. Or does Auburn pay for it since he was injured during practice?

It varies from college to college, but schools will have a secondary policy that covers beyond what a student's private insurance will cover. There may or may not be a deductible, but with the recent outcome of the grant-in-aid lawsuit, I doubt Auburn requires a deductible.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/200...d-details_N.htm

[SLAG-91 1,578]

Hate that for him...here's hoping he has a successful recovery, no matter how long it takes.

[kwagoner 214]

Paul Rhoads said that while in a nickel or dime, in his system safety is one of the less complicated positions to play in. We still have some experienced corners and I'm sure somebody can step up to fill his shoes.

Sorry to break it to you, but he was a starting corner. He may not have had experience at the position, but he was the starter. So our "experienced corners" aren't very experienced outside of Jerraud Powers.

McFadden has decent playing time (and has been said to have very good practices). The safety comment is to say that of our younger guys that will have to step it up, they will most likely be in the safety position. Therefore better for a freshmen to fill those shoes than a corner.

[PChamp119 96]

Paul Rhoads said that while in a nickel or dime, in his system safety is one of the less complicated positions to play in. We still have some experienced corners and I'm sure somebody can step up to fill his shoes.

Sorry to break it to you, but he was a starting corner. He may not have had experience at the position, but he was the starter. So our "experienced corners" aren't very experienced outside of Jerraud Powers.

McFadden has decent playing time (and has been said to have very good practices). The safety comment is to say that of our younger guys that will have to step it up, they will most likely be in the safety position. Therefore better for a freshmen to fill those shoes than a corner.

Fair enough.

[BigSammyK 171]

Tough news and prayers out to him for a speedy recovery.

What are athletes going to do when Dr. James Andrews isn't around anymore? It really seems like every ligament related injury you hear about in the sports world all comes down to a visit with Dr. Andrews.

[PChamp119 96]

He did have successful surgery on the torn MCL / ACL and dislocated knee

[aubie316 76]

This Sucks!