Everett

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Bills punter Brian Moorman stood on the sideline desperately waiting for teammate Kevin Everett to get up or show any sign he was OK.

When the reserve tight end failed to do so as he was immobilized and carefully loaded into an ambulance after sustaining a severe spinal cord injury, Moorman knew it was serious.

"It brought tears to my eyes," Moorman said Monday, recalling how a day earlier he watched helplessly during the Bills season opener against Denver, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.

Those fears were confirmed Monday when the team's orthopedic surgeon, Andrew Cappuccino, announced Everett unlikely will be able to walk again after sustaining a "catastrophic" and life-threatening injury.

"A best-case scenario is full recovery, but not likely," said Cappuccino, a day after he spent four hours in surgery reconstructing Everett's fractured spinal cord.

"By life, I'm an optimist," Cappuccino added, when asked the chances of Everett regaining full movement in his body. "But as a scientist and a clinician, I have to tell you that, statistically, the chances of that occurring are very small."

Cappuccino noted the 25-year-old did have touch sensation throughout his body, showed signs of voluntary movement and was also able to breathe on his own before being sedated. But he cautioned that Everett's injury remained life-threatening because he was still susceptible to blood clots, infection and breathing failure.