St. Louis Rams cornerback Ron Bartell said he's out for the season after fracturing a bone in his lower neck. It's obviously a very serious injury, but Bartell doesn't want it to end his career.
"My goal is to play again," Bartell told the Post-Dispatch on Tuesday. "I'm fully prepared to play again. I'm approaching it as such that I will play again."
Bartell, 29, was injured during the fourth quarter of Sunday's 31-13 loss when he was hit by a Philadelphia Eagles player while attempting to make a tackle. Bartell said the C7 bone in his lower neck has two fractures. The injury won't require surgery, but plenty of time will be needed to heal.
"There's absolutely no way I could come back and play this year," Bartell said.
It was an extremely close call for Bartell, who nearly re-entered Sunday's game before being told his day was over.
"The good news is, it's not displaced," he said. "Because usually when you have displacement, you're talking about surgery; you're talking about spinal cord issues and everything. So it's stable. It's an injury that can heal over time. And everything I'm hearing it doesn't prevent me from playing in the future."
