Behind a first-team attitude, B.J. Ross is making progress

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Looking back, B.J. Ross didn't think the injury he sustained would be that significant.

Sprinting downfield on a kickoff as a member of the coverage team for the University of Memphis, Ross, all of 5-9 and 185 pounds, collided with USF's Cecil Cherry, a 6-foot, 240-pound linebacker. Ross crumpled to the ground following the hit.

Medical personnel were summoned. Ross was stabilized and eventually carted off the field.

Still, Ross thought, there was no cause for concern. He'd bounce back, much like he did three years earlier, when as a freshman, he suffered a `stinger' after covering a kickoff against UCF.

But this collision was different. Ross, a defensive back from Melbourne, Fla., had sustained nerve damage affecting his right shoulder, leaving him with limited use of his right arm. He would not finish his senior season, missing remaining games against Cincinnati and nationally ranked Houston.

And he would not play in the team's postseason game involving a trip to Ross's home state for the Boca Raton Bowl vs. Western Kentucky.

Instead, Ross would embark on a journey to rehabilitate his injury. It's a recovery process that started shortly after the Nov. 12, 2016 game at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

"I remember running downfield and bracing up to hit someone," he said. "The funny thing is, the ball went out of the end zone.

"Honestly, I don't remember a thing after being hit. I woke up and it was all kind of a blur. "

Monica Baker, a physical therapist who has worked with the football program since 2003, said the injury – a brachial plexus stretch injury -- is "comparable to a stinger" but the effects of a stinger gradually subside. This one didn't.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the brachial plexus is the network of nerves that sends signals from your spinal cord to your shoulder, arm and hand. A brachial plexus injury occurs when those nerves are stretched away from the spinal cord.

Baker said recovery from nerve damage is often unpredictable. That's why surgery on Ross was delayed by more than six months. "(Doctors) were waiting to see if it would heal (on its own)," she said.

When it didn't, surgery was performed in June 2017. She said the prognosis is "he should have some strength return." As of now, she said "it's like he was paralyzed on the right side except for his right hand (of which he has use)."

"It's a two-year process," Baker said. "But he's had some really good return, getting to where he can carry a plate with the help of his left hand. We grade muscle strength on a scale from 1 to 5. We expect a 3 return. Our goal is to get use of his right arm without assistance (of his left)."

Courteous, patient and flashing an ever-present smile, he continues to spend his days at the UofM, working part time in the athletic ticket office, pursuing a post-graduate degree in Sport and Leisure Commerce and attending twice weekly off-campus rehab sessions.

His attitude, and athlete's mentality, has allowed him to fight through the toughest aspects of the rehab process. Seeing improvements has helped, too.

"It's definitely better than where it started," Ross said of the injury. "I'm getting to where I can lift my (right arm) a little bit.

"It's coming along. It's just really slow. It's a slow process. All my coaches told me it's a marathon, not a race."

If anything, Ross has acquired additional patience during the ordeal. It's a trait that been beneficial in his customer-service role in the ticket office. Regardless of the complaints he sometimes fields, he's always even-keeled.

"He's been wonderful," said Melissa Moore-Brigance, assistant athletic director for ticketing/customer service. "You wish you could clone him."

Doctors, with whom he meets every six months, have encouraged him to keep attacking his rehab with the same intensity he brought to the playing field. They've pointed to improvements at each visit.

While Ross must routinely lift his right arm to place it on a keyboard – and struggles with range of motion -- he admits his condition is better.

"I can move my fingers, I can lift up (my arm) a little bit, I can bend my elbow and I can hold it in certain positions," Ross said. "The only real trouble I'm having is trying to extend (my arm) and bend (away) from the biceps.

"It's definitely all coming back. It's just slow. It's just super slow."

Baker has been impressed watching Ross handle the rehab process, physically and mentally.

"I've been doing this for 18 years and I've never seen anyone with this kind of attitude," she said. "He has been extremely patient and positive."

As if he needed another setback, Ross was involved in a car collision two months ago in East Memphis. His 2005 Ford Mustang was totaled. Ross said the accident aggravated his injury, but the discomfort it caused has subsided.

Baker said cutting-edge therapy – to stimulate the muscle and nerve directly -- has been used to accelerate the healing and to prevent atrophy. She's not ruling out Ross regaining full use.

"It's really unknown," she said. "With his attitude, and with the way he works, I'm not going to bet against him."

In the interim, Ross will continue to rehab and continue to make progress in all facets of his life.

"Even if it doesn't fully come back, I've been blessed to get as much back as I can," he said. "Even though I wasn't a bad person before this, I feel this situation has humbled me. It's made me a better person."

University of Memphis Athletics

Behind a first-team attitude, B.J. Ross is making progress

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