Sticks, stones and kick-off returns may break his bones, but words can never hurt him. After suffering two season-ending injuries in the past two seasons, McDonogh 35 High School senior Delvin Breaux will get a chance to fulfill his dream of playing college football after signing a letter of intent with LSU this past Wednesday. “All I’ve ever wanted to do is play college ball,” the New Orleans native said. “It’s great that I have the opportunity to go to the next level, and I’m excited that I get to come play under Les Miles and possibly play for a national title.” The 6-foot, 175-pound, three-star cornerback has not played an entire season of organized football since his 2004 sophomore season with the Roneagles. Breaux said the injury he suffered his junior year was a small setback for the two-sport athlete. “I think it was Oct. 5, [2005] – the third week after Hurricane Katrina – and it was on a kick-off return,” Breaux said. “They kicked the ball to me, and after I caught it, I ran over a guy trying to tackle me. When I ran over him, his helmet ended up on my shin and fractured my leg.” After an offseason full of doctors’ offices and physical therapy visits, Breaux said he was excited to begin the 2006 season. But the feeling was short-lived because he suffered another injury a month into his senior campaign. “It was on kick-off coverage again,” Breaux said. “We kicked the ball off, and I went to tackle the guy at an angle. When I hit his leg, his leg bent my neck back and fractured three of my vertebrae. The weird thing was that the week before I wasn’t even on the corner, but coach [Wayne Reese] felt I would help them at that position.” After extending a scholarship offer to Breaux prior to his senior season, LSU coach Les Miles said he cannot wait to see Breaux in a Tigers uniform. “The football coach is just a football coach, but when a guy breaks his neck and you have extended him a scholarship, the school’s the one that lets you bring him in,” Miles said. “I can tell you we expect him to heal and return to health, but I can also tell you our school has a right heart there in allowing me to bring in this man and allowing him to pursue health in the very near future.” Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Timothy P. Finney – who received the NFL Team Physician Society Outstanding Team Physician of the Year Award in 2005 for his work with the New Orleans Saints – said that although he is not familiar with Breaux’s particular case, he has seen others succeed in collegiate and professional ball after returning from fractured vertebrae. “I’ve seen guys with fractured vertebrae come through the NFL combine, and [they] have done OK for themselves,” Finney said. “I’ve seen some guys that come back and play with a one-level fusion, when they actually fuse one of the discs – take bone graph from the hip and put a little plate with screws – and have seen guys play very well after.” Reese agreed with Finney and said Breaux should not have a problem returning. He also said Breaux’s big-play mentality is something his team will miss the upcoming season. “You can get someone to play his position, but you can never replace an athlete like Delvin,” Reese said. “He’s got the skills of a college corner with how well he plays. This kid’s been playing four years at corner and knows the position better than anyone I know. He’s one of those ideal pro-style corners that plays real good bump-and-run.” Although Reese said Breaux has the skills to compete at the collegiate level, LSU fans will not see him line up against the Southeastern Conference’s best wide receivers for a while. “I suspect the earliest he will see the field will be in 2009,” Miles said. “He’ll probably be OK to play in the spring of [2008], but probably the opportunity to play on a Saturday won’t be until 2009.”
—–Contact Jay St. Pierre at [email protected]