In the matter of a few seconds, a strong, promising young Buffalo Bills
player lay paralyzed and very mortal after a violent collision on the
second-half kickoff return during the opening weekend of the 2007 NFL
season. Kevin Everett, tight end and special team's player, went
helmet-to-helmet with Denver Broncos return man, Domenik Hixon, with all
the force a 6'4, 260-pound 25-year-old can muster while running
full-bore. Fate was on Kevin's side. Only a few days prior, the
medical-training staff had practiced a spinal-cord drill supervised by
Dr. Andrew Cappuccino, an orthopedic surgeon. Dr Cappuccino was on the
sidelines during this game as a regular member of the Buffalo Bills
medical staff, one of the few NFL reams to be so staffed. Cappuccino
determined that Everett was quadriplegic, as he lay on the field of
Ralph Wilson Stadium. And so began a real-life drill. While
controversial and affressive medical care, Kevin began a tougher
challenge than any Sunday-football warrior