NCAAF teams
ESPN.com 7y

Harvard CB Ben Abercrombie recovering from neck surgery

College Football, Harvard Crimson

A freshman cornerback who suffered a neck injury during Harvard's season opener last weekend has undergone surgery and is recovering at a Rhode Island hospital.

Ben Abercrombie, from Hoover, Alabama, had surgery for a cervical injury. His high school baseball coach, Adam Moseley, tweeted late Sunday night that the surgery was successful.

"The doctor indicated that the neck vertebrae surgery was a success and Marty was very encouraged by the before and after surgery pictures," Moseley tweeted, passing along information from the father of one of Abercrombie's former baseball teammates. "The spinal cord is intact."

The Marty to whom the tweet refers is Ben Abercrombie's father.

"The doctor is now waiting for the neck swelling and pressure and trauma to subside in order that Ben can regain feeling in his arms and legs," the tweet continued. "The doctor is hopeful that this will happen over the next several days."

Abercrombie also is receiving assistance to breathe.

Abercrombie suffered the injury in the second quarter of a 17-10 loss to Rhode Island. Rams wide receiver Marven Beauvais had caught an 18-yard pass near the Harvard sideline when he was hit by Abercrombie, who collapsed to the ground. The game was delayed for about 10 minutes while the on-site medical staff worked on Abercrombie, before he was placed on a backboard and put in an ambulance.

Bob Scalise, Harvard's athletic director, and football coach Tim Murphy sent a letter to the university's student-athletes on Tuesday, pledging their full support to Abercrombie and his family and urging students to "keep Ben and his family in your thoughts and prayers as he begins his recovery process."

After the game, Rhode Island coach Jim Fleming mentioned Abercrombie's injury.

"Our prevalent thoughts on the game is on Ben Abercrombie and our hope for his speedy recovery," Fleming said. "Things happen in the game of football and our hope's that this thing works out for him well."

^ Back to Top ^