SEATTLE (AP) -Washington quarterback Jake Locker flew home on a private jet with a doctor ahead of his team early Sunday after sustaining a neck injury in a helmet-to-helmet collision during the Huskies’ loss at Oregon State on Saturday night.
“He will be evaluated today and his status for Saturday vs. Cal (and, potentially, the rest of the season) will be determined as we get more information,” Washington spokesman Richard Kilwien wrote in an e-mail sent after the team’s early Sunday return from Corvallis, Ore.
Locker, the dynamic redshirt freshman, was scrambling on a third-down play when he was hit by Oregon State safety Al Afalava in the second quarter.
Locker stayed down for about 15 minutes and did not appear to move while emergency workers attended to him. He was put on a stretcher with his head immobilized and taken by ambulance to Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis.
Locker returned to the sidelines with 3:18 left in the game, walking slowly and wearing a neck brace as the crowd cheered.
“We will look over the next few days to see how intensive the injury is,” Washington coach Tyrone Willingham said moments after the 29-23 loss to the Beavers dropped the Huskies to 3-7 (1-6 Pac-10) with three games remaining. “We felt confident after talking with the doctors that the injury was not permanent.”
Known for his scrambling ability, Locker had 16 yards on six carries Saturday night before the injury. He has 807 yards rushing in 10 games.
Add A Comment