Lest we forget...

[IrishAZ]

This is a ND player, but I thought it rather moving to see what all he had to go through just to get on the field, then to have it all end. It's of particular significance to me since I was somewhat critical of the kid at times when he didn't perform all that well or wasn't playing - the details of his injuries weren't common knowledge. I now feel rather bad about that.

 

It just goes to show, fans don't always know the whole story with these players and what they have to endure.

 

IRISH!

 

 

borrowed from Mike Regan's post NDNation:

 

Injury ends Ryan's career

 

Notre Dame doctors won't clear Marian grad to play football

 

By EMMETT MCCALL

 

The December hiring of Charlie Weis as head coach has generated quite a bit of excitement around the Notre Dame football program.

 

Weis, the former New England Patriots' offensive coordinator, brought a no nonsense attitude and a Super Bowl pedigree with him to South Bend.

 

No one was more enthused about the hiring of Weis than Fighting Irish junior offensive lineman Jamie Ryan.

 

"The more I learned about Coach Weis and his staff, the more excited I was about having the opportunity to play for him," said Ryan, a former All-State performer while at Marian High School. "I really felt that Coach Weis was more my type of coach. I couldn't wait for him to arrive on campus and start preparations for next season."

 

Unfortunately for Ryan, that joy soon turned to heartbreak.

 

Last month, Ryan discovered that a back injury he had to deal with throughout the course of last season was far more serious than anyone suspected. X-rays and visits to specialist confirmed what team doctors had feared, Ryan's football career was over.

 

"It's been an extremely rough few weeks," said Ryan during a phone interview. "I'm trying to come to grips with the finality of it. I just didn't expect my college career to end like this.

 

I'm sure it's going to be even worse when the season starts, but I'm trying to be as positive about it as I can."

 

Ryan said he was aware that he had a degenerate disc disorder in his back. But it wasn't until he hurt the back during a midseason practice that the disorder became a problem.

 

"I tried to play through it, but the pain got worse and worse until I just couldn't do it anymore," said Ryan.

 

X-rays revealed that Ryan had three torn discs in his back. Specialists at South Bend Orthopedics gave him the bad news.

 

"They said my only hope [to play again] was surgery where they would insert rods and screws into the back and even if things went well, there was only a 5 percent chance that I could possibly play again," said Ryan. "They then told me the procedure would more than likely lead to upper back problems down the road."

 

Despite the slim chances for success, Ryan said he initially considered the surgery. But before he could decide, the Notre Dame team doctors made the decision for him.

 

"They told me that even if the surgery was a success, it was extremely doubtful they would ever clear me to play," Ryan said.

 

It was the latest and by far the most devastating in a series of bad breaks that Ryan has encountered since coming to South Bend.

 

First, he missed his entire freshman season recovering from a serious blood clot that cut short his senior year at Marian. He then suffered a pair of knee injuries during his sophomore season. The first was a cartilage problem in his right knee that he played with throughout most of the year before having surgery in the offseason. The second was an MCL tear in his left knee during the 2003 season-ending game against Syracuse.

 

"Because of the two knee injuries, I missed winter conditioning, spring ball and summer camp," said Ryan. "That put me so far behind heading into this season that it was tough to make up ground."

 

Despite all the health problems, Ryan showed his potential numerous times over the past two seasons. During that span, he played in over a dozen games for the Fighting Irish, starting three times.

 

"I still have two seasons of eligibility left and I was looking forward to a fresh start with a new coaching staff and no injuries to hold me back," said Ryan. "Unfortunately, that isn't going to happen for me now."

 

Ryan said the disappointment he felt after finding out the news wasn't just for himself.

 

"I've had such great support from everyone back home," he said. "My family has been extremely supportive and [Marian] Coach [stan] Dakosty has been such a big influence throughout my first three years here, especially in helping me put things in perspective since I found out my football career was over.

 

"I also feel bad about letting down all the people in the area who followed me throughout my high school and college career."

 

Ryan is already trying to turn his attention to the future, however. Despite the injury, he will still keep his scholarship and is on schedule to graduate from Notre Dame in May 2006.

 

"I want to still be part of the football program," he said. "I have a meeting with Coach Weis next week to discus what I can do to help the team.

 

"I also want to become a coach someday. My goal now is to get a graduate assistant job and work on my masters degree after I'm finished here. I definitely see football being a part of my future."

 

Ryan also said he knows that although he didn't get the chance to accomplish everything he wanted to while at Notre Dame, he still got the chance to experience something most people can only dream about.

 

"Coming to Notre Dame was always one of my goals," he said. "Not only did I accomplish that, but I also got to start several games and earn a varsity letter my sophomore year.

 

"That's something I always dreamed about and something that no one can ever take away from me."

[Blarney]

Tough break. Good story, thanks Irish.