{"id":17860,"date":"2015-10-08T12:17:25","date_gmt":"2015-10-08T17:17:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=17860"},"modified":"2015-10-13T09:57:40","modified_gmt":"2015-10-13T14:57:40","slug":"series-of-medical-emergencies-not-enough-to-tackle-northwestern-football-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/series-of-medical-emergencies-not-enough-to-tackle-northwestern-football-player\/","title":{"rendered":"Series of medical emergencies not enough to tackle Northwestern football player"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JORDAN RAY<\/p>\n

In January, Northwestern offensive lineman Matt Frazier had surgery on his right ankle.<\/p>\n

In February, he had surgery on his left ankle.<\/p>\n

Three days later, he had emergency spine surgery.<\/p>\n

Then he tore his pectoral muscle.<\/p>\n

Then he contracted a staph infection in his pelvis. The infection turned septic into his bloodstream, and he spent 10 days in the hospital, the first three or so in intensive care.<\/p>\n

\"Staph<\/a>
A medical illustration of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium that causes staph infections. (CDC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yet there he was last Saturday, inspiring his teammates with a pre-game speech that helped his Wildcats defeat Minnesota in the team’s conference opener. He played sparingly, but is expected to be on the field once again this weekend when Northwestern takes on No. 18 Michigan.
\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probably an unprecedented amount of things that he\u2019s found a way to battle through,\u201d offensive line coach Adam Cushing said, \u201cand come out on the other end better for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frazier said the ordeal made him doubt his future with the football team. He said his lowest moment came during his third day in intensive care when Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald paid a visit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen [Fitzgerald] left, I kind of started thinking: ‘I hope I get the opportunity to play for this man again…play for this university,’\u201d Frazier said.<\/p>\n

“Then when all of my teammates started visiting me again, I started thinking about that as well. I was thinking: ‘I hope to get to play with these guys again.’ So I wasn’t really sure, but here I am.”<\/p>\n

During Frazier\u2019s recovery in the hospital, his coaches and teammates offered support. Cushing, who has known Frazier since he recruited him out of high school, said he texted Frazier daily.<\/p>\n

\"Northwestern<\/a>
Northwestern offensive line coach Adam Cushing is pictured. (Big Ten)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At one point, Cushing told Frazier that everything happens for a reason and that Frazier would come out of it stronger, if not physically, then mentally.<\/p>\n

Zack Oliver, Frazier\u2019s roommate, said he made an effort to see Frazier whenever possible. Sometimes he even did his homework in the hospital room while Frazier rested.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever he would wake up and see a friend there or see his family there, I think that helped him push through it that much more,\u201d Oliver said.<\/p>\n

With the support of his teammates and coaches, Frazier fought back, rededicating himself to the sport he loves and regaining the weight he had lost.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was very adamant,\u201d Cushing said. \u201cI saw him after I-don\u2019t-know-how-many days of not eating, but he just had a smile on his face. \u2018I got it, Coach. I\u2019ll get back.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

When the football season returned, Frazier was still recovering. He sat out the first four games of the season, but was medically cleared to return at the start of last week.<\/p>\n

His return provided \u201ca huge spark\u201d for the team\u2019s offense, superback Dan Vitale said.<\/p>\n

Waiting in the locker room before Saturday\u2019s game, the player who overcame seemingly impossible odds addressed his team.<\/p>\n

\"Matt
Northwestern offensive lineman Matt Frazier is pictured. (Big Ten)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cHe told us that every day he was in the hospital, every day he was waiting to come back, all he could think about was playing with us,\u201d teammate and best friend Eric Olson said. \u201cHe honestly brought me to tears. I was crying 10 minutes before I ran out of the tunnel.\u201d<\/p>\n

His speech worked: Northwestern shut out Minnesota 27-0.<\/p>\n

On Monday, the Northwestern athletics department chose Frazier as one of three players to address the media. The other two players raved about his inspiring speech and expressed how grateful they were to have him back.<\/p>\n

While Frazier said he appreciates the recognition and hopes he can continue serving as an inspiration,\u00a0he’s anything but satisfied. At one point, he\u00a0criticized his in-game performance, labeling it “rusty.”<\/p>\n

He\u2019s earned the benefit of the doubt.<\/p>\n

Photo at top: Offensive lineman Matt Frazier (57) smiles during a Northwestern football game against Notre Dame. (Nathan Richards\/The Daily Northwestern)<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By JORDAN RAY In January, Northwestern offensive lineman Matt Frazier had surgery on his right ankle. In February, he had surgery on his left ankle. Three days later, he had emergency spine surgery. Then he tore his pectoral muscle. Then he contracted a staph infection in his pelvis. The infection turned septic into his bloodstream, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":17862,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,436],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","category-spring-2015"],"yoast_head":"\nSeries of medical emergencies not enough to tackle Northwestern football player - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/series-of-medical-emergencies-not-enough-to-tackle-northwestern-football-player\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Series of medical emergencies not enough to tackle Northwestern football player - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By JORDAN RAY In January, Northwestern offensive lineman Matt Frazier had surgery on his right ankle. 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