Bills tight end Everett has spinal surgery, may face paralysis
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills reserve tight end Kevin Everett had surgery Sunday after injuring his spine on a kickoff against the Denver Broncos, and there is concern about whether he will be able to walk again.
"He's had some sparse movement," Everett's agent Brian Overstreet told The Associated Press in a phone interview late Sunday.
"The next couple of days is going to be critical," said Overstreet, responding to a question about paralysis. "Our concern is for him to come out of this healthy and, hopefully, be able to walk again."
Overstreet said Everett came out of a "lengthy surgery" Sunday evening and the plan was for his mother, Patricia Dugas, to arrive from Texas on Monday.
Everett fell to the ground and never moved after a helmet-to-helmet hit when he tackled Denver's Domenik Hixon during a kickoff to open the second half. Everett was placed on a backboard with his head and body immobilized.
The game was delayed for about 15 minutes, and the Bills gathered at the sideline while doctors attended to the player.
At 9:45 p.m., as he was leaving Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital, Bills' tight end Ryan Neufeld told Buffalo's WIVB-TV the surgery "went well as far as we can tell and he's recovering right now."
Bills general manager Marv Levy said doctors informed the team that it's too early to determine the severity of the injury and they will know more after monitoring the player overnight.
"Certainly, we feel the injury is serious, but I don't want to speculate, and that's what the doctors told us," Levy told The Associated Press. "They told us to wait to hear from them before making any speculative announcement."
