Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis will play in the Super Bowl on Sunday, just two weeks after breaking his arm in an NFC Championship Game win over the Arizona Cardinals. When Davis first suffered the injury, team trainers thought he had no chance of suiting up in San Francisco.
Panthers head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion told NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport that he felt badly for Davis, assuming the 32-year-old veteran’s season was over.
“I remember saying to (assistant trainer Mark Shermansky), ‘I cannot believe this guy’s season is going to end right now,'” Vermillion said. “We were going to win the game, you could tell the way it was going. But I could not believe this guy — what he’s been through — that it’s going to end right now.”
Of course, Davis almost immediately vowed to play in the Super Bowl after breaking the arm. Panthers team doctor Patrick Connor told the training staff the arm could be fixed in time, and Davis underwent surgery to have a metal plate inserted.
“First off, to be able to do what he’s doing takes a special guy,” Vermillion said. “Not everyone can do what he’s doing. He’s not going to go through what he’s gone through and not get this opportunity.”
Davis reportedly looked sharp in practice this week, and he will not have to play with a cast on his arm. It remains to be seen how the arm will react when he is dragging opponents to the ground, but this is a guy who popped his finger back into place in the middle of a play (video here) earlier this season. We wouldn’t bet against his toughness.
