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PROVO — BYU sophomore linebacker Colby Jorgensen underwent surgery for a fractured neck and slipped disc following Tuesday's training camp practice in Provo, according to a report first issued by The Daily Herald.
Jorgensen's brother Austen told Daily Herald sports editor Jared Lloyd that his younger brother had a "long road of recovery" following a five-to-six-hour surgery to repair damage sustained in practice.
A source confirmed to KSL that Colby Jorgensen was in surgery following a scary situation in practice Tuesday morning, but declined to go into details about the extent of the injury.
"It was pretty close," Austen told the newspaper. "He's pretty lucky he didn't end up paralyzed. I guess it was resting against his spinal cord."
Jorgensen was carted off the field early in practice Tuesday morning, but left with feeling in his extremities as he was carried off on a gurney and taken to a local hospital for tests and observation, according to official reports. The injury was one during a difficult day of training camp that saw at least four players visibly affected by a combination of the heat and extra conditioning drills.
Colby Jorgensen did not play during his freshman season in 2011 after undergoing shoulder surgery. The 6-foot-7, 228-pound Timpvew High product totaled 50 tackles, six sacks and an interception as a senior in high school in 2010 before signing with BYU and eventually serving a mission for the LDS Church in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Jorgensen was married last week to his wife Lydia, and the two returned to Provo in time to begin fall camp. While facing the tragedy, the Jorgensen family is also grateful the situation is not worse.
"The big thing is getting a lot of prayers and sending love that way," Austen Jorgensen told the Herald. "But also I hope people feel free to reach out to him. You can feel pretty alone after the fact when you've been injured, so hopefully they'll check in and show the love.
"It's going to be a long recovery road, and that means more than people even think."
Contributing: Rod Zundel
