Southern U. launches fund to support player injured in Georgia game
Gales had surgery on Sunday in Athens, Georgia, to fix several fractures in his neck.
The former Central High standout will stay at the hospital for spinal cord injury rehabilitation after sustaining an injury during Southern’s game against the University of Georgia on September 26.
Morgan and Gales’ heads collided on a kickoff late in the third quarter. The player’s injuries are stabilized and he can move his upper body, according to the school.
Georgia coach Mark Richt on Tuesday began his weekly media availability by encouraging UGA fans to contribute to the fund.
“I think that was really healthy for him, for everybody”, Richt said. “One thing goes wrong and just like that, he’s laying down and no one knows what’s going on”. But I think it was good for him to go and talk to everybody.
“He’s speaking, and he’s talking, and he understands the road that’s in front of him”, Odums said, via the Advocate.
From the moment of the accident, UGA and SU sports medicine staff worked side by side to tend to the injured SU player until he was taken off the field and transported to Athens Regional Medical Center. In fact, Bulldogs coach Mark Richt and other staffers visited Gales Sunday. UGA and “the Bulldog Nation” has been especially generous with its time, resources and well-wishes, the school said. Unfortunately, UGA has experience dealing with these types of catastrophic injuries. Gales’ family, which includes his mother and father, stepparents and two young siblings, lives in Baton Rouge and will be displaced for several weeks until Gales can be released to return home.
Southern University Athletics, along with the Southern University System Foundation, launched the Devon Gales Fund Monday afternoon in an effort to provide financial assistance to Gales and his family to cover medical expenses.