Ifo Ekpre Olomu is by all accounts a hard-working solid individual that everyone would like to root for, a great kid. He was a terrific cornerback at Oregon, and was projected as a first or second round draft pick, maybe even the top cornerback in the draft.
That dream fell apart when he suffered a horrific knee injury in practice before the National Championship game against Ohio State. I'm not a a medical authority, but based on what I've read, he suffered a knee joint dislocation. This is a severe injury that as far as I can find out no player has ever recovered from to play pro sports.
This is NOT a dislocated kneecap. This is a case in which the lower leg bones (tibia and fibula) have been separated from the femur (thigh bone) as shown in the figure below.
Fortunately the Oregon Ducks wisely took out an insurance policy for him, and so he is going to be all right financially. But he still wanted to play football. He received that opportunity when the Browns drafted him in the seventh round.
The buzz among fans is that the Browns got a steal. My suspicion is that Ray Farmer simply did not understand the extent of his injury. The Browns did not do their homework, made a stupid pick. At least the Browns could have taken a kicker as several were available and they were looking for one.
I hope that Ifo can beat the odds through determination and hard work. If he makes it back on the field, he will be the first person to ever do so at the NFL level. Ifo is a great kid and deserves for good things to happen. Miracles do happen. Let's hope for one for Ifo.
I hope that Ifo can beat the odds through determination and hard work. If he makes it back on the field, he will be the first person to ever do so at the NFL level. Ifo is a great kid and deserves for good things to happen. Miracles do happen. Let's hope for one for Ifo.
Frankly though, the players you get in the NFL draft should be guys that you have some belief in, rather than draft a guy and start praying for a miracle.
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