Arizona Wildcats tight end Brion Anduze suffered three torn ligaments in his left knee on the first day of spring practice last year. Eleven months later, he’s still working toward a return to the field.
Anduze goes to treatment two times a day and remains hopeful of making his UA debut in 2017 after the gruesome knee injury, which required two surgeries – one in February and another in August.
Although his football future is uncertain, the redshirt sophomore remains optimistic. He shared his thoughts in a recent interview with the Star:
Did you think when the injury happened that maybe you’d never be able to play again?
A: “Of course. That always goes through your mind sitting in your bed – you can’t really do anything.”
What do you remember about the play?
A: “I ran a bow route. Jumped up, caught a pass, came down kind of awkwardly. It just kind of folded under me.”
Could you tell right away that something wasn’t right?
A: “Oh yeah. Something was really wrong when I saw my knee sideways.”
What’s it like to have to go to rehab/treatment every single day for months on end?
A: “It got old the first few months. I just kind of said, ‘You’ve got to do whatever it takes to get back on the field with your teammates.’ That’s really what I missed – being with my teammates, being on the field playing the game I love. Playing football for X amount of years and then not being able to practice, it sucks. It makes you kind of want it more. Just watching it kills me.”
What kind of timeline are we looking at for a return to the field?
A: “I should be full go during the summer. That’s what the doctors told me.”
Before the injury, the coaches had a lot of praise for you. Did you feel like things were headed on an upward trajectory?
A: “Things were looking pretty good, getting some playing time, maybe starting. Who knows? What can you do? You’ve got to get back on the field.”
