In many ways, injuries have become a key part of the PBR race to the finals. An unprecedented number of riders have them, and an unusual amount of drama surrounds them. Who rides, who sits out, who makes the decisions, and who says what about all of it - these have become the subject of a lot of armchair quarterbacking. At this point, missing an event is costly, so we might start seeing some questionable judgment calls from riders. They know that if they sit out an event, there are guys behind them who are waiting to make a move. Valderon de Oliveira has done just that in the last two events. (Click here to read "San Antonio: The Big Story")Here are a few updates on injuries past and present.
Both Guilherme Marchi and Ryan McConnel rode in San Antonio after sitting out in Tulsa two weeks ago. Marchi pulled himself from the Tulsa event when his wrist, on which he'd had surgery during the BFTS break, became swollen after wrapping it prior to a ride. Dr. Tandy Freeman, an orthopedic surgeon and director of the PBR's medical team, pulled McConnel from competition in Tulsa pending an MRI to diagnose the severity of a neck injury sustained during break. Though both riders were cleared to ride in San Antonio, Marchi admits to riding through a lot of pain. McConnel's MRI showed no recent neck or head fractures.
L.J. Jenkins is reportedly doing well after undergoing surgery to set a bone and reattach a ligament in his left (free) hand this week.
New rider injuries include a sprained wrist, bruised leg, bruised back, sprained thumb (free hand), dislocated wrist (free hand), and injured index finger.
On the bull side of the fence, Code Blue has been examined by vets from Virginia Tech University and given a clean bill of health. Cody Lambert, who picks the bulls for the BFTS events, told Rick Wagoner last week that Blue would need to get clearance from a top level vet before he could compete again. When I talked with him a few weeks ago, Wagoner was planning to bring the superstar bull to Nashville next weekend.
