An injury that rivals Cooper Manning’s brutal story just ended Oxford’s starting back’s career, likely for forever.
A right shoulder injury that sidelined sophomore Drew Bianco last week against West Point turned out to be his demise. An MRI and a trip to a neurosurgeon confirmed Oxford’s worst fears concerning their young star.
Although the preliminary reports are informal, Bianco’s nerves in his neck have deteriorated his shoulder muscles to the point that it could permanently render his right arm useless.
“To sum it up, the neurosurgeon told my family and I that if I were to continue playing football, I could basically lose my arm,” a devastated Bianco said. “He told me that if he was in the position of my dad, that he would never let me play football again.”
Bianco’s current status is not entirely known, because he just received the information today. However, he confirmed that he is likely to never play football again.
“Obviously, it’s a sad time anytime you lose a guy like Drew,” senior offensive lineman Will Swindoll said. “Both on the field and off, he is a great guy, and a great athlete. We wish him all the best.”
Through four games, Bianco had built up 371 rushing yards and six touchdowns. In fact, through three, he had surpassed former running back Kenzie Phillips’ record of yards through three games.
He will surely be missed to the Charger offense, but with Phillips’ suspension still in the air, the load will be shared between sophomore Hiram Wadlington and the speedy senior, Josh Patton.
While his career in football is everything but finished, Bianco’s future in baseball is still very promising. As of now, he has been cleared to play baseball and continue his tenure on the diamond.
Bianco will still travel with the football team and continue to be a powerful leader in the locker room, and the No. 8 jersey will endure.