Ahmad Bradshaw, 10.29.09

Q: It appears, at least for the time being, you can stay the course?

A.  I am very relieved, just had to go get a second opinion and see if I should be playing right now. I am really relieved to hear that I am going to be on the field.

Q: Did they tell you they think it’s a high risk of making it worse if you continue to play this way?

A. Well, of course, I know that. It all depends on the bone and how it is in my foot. I just plan on going out there and giving it my all and if it breaks, it does. I’ll get surgery. If not, I’ll wait to the end of the season and hopefully at the end I won’t need it, but more then likely I plan on having surgery.

Q: You’re saying there is a chance you can actually break it?

A. Yeah, it’s a cracked bone in my foot and on the outside of my foot, which is probably the easiest bone to break. There is a chance of it breaking all the way through the bone. Even if it does, I’ll have to get surgery then.

Q: So what do you do to protect yourself, a ton of tape?

A. Running hard, that’s all it is.

Q: Right now if it stays the way it is and it doesn’t break any further, you don’t have to get surgery?

A. I’m fine for the rest of the season.

Q: You said it got grabbed on the fumble there?

A. Yeah.

Q: Is that the first time it’s happened, do you think he was kind of going for it?

A. Oh no. That was just a bad ankle and foot also. I don’t think that had anything to do with grabbing my foot.

Q: You don’t think he was aiming for your foot?

A. No, that was just a bad ankle and a foot also.

Q: Is it going to heal on its own after the season or do you have to have a procedure?

A. It’s a screw that they put in your foot, inside the bone and I guess it pretty much heals around that screw.

Q: I’m sure it hurts but does it slow you down at all or has it affected your style of running?

A. You know what, no. When the game is going on, I can’t feel it. A lot of adrenaline is pumping and you just never know. I felt a lot of pressure going through the game but it was never a factor.

Q: I imagine your running style doesn’t help it?

A. Right, I think that’s the reason it’s broken just because I run on the outside of my feet because I’m bowlegged. I guess that causes the break even more.

Q. Do you know the name of the bone?

A. The fifth metatarsal in your foot.

Q. The pinky toe?

A. Yeah, pretty much. It is on the side of the foot though.

Q. So this is totally different than the sprained ankle issue you had at Marshall?

A. Oh yeah, definitely.

Q. So, you have two injuries?

A. Yeah, in the same foot. The ankle is here and there. It is pretty much like an old fracture. It was never taken care of. That is just how it grew over with a couple of bone spurs and a couple of loose bones in there. It just heals like that. It is just a lot of pain. Other than that, it doesn’t slow me down at all.

Q. You wear that boot all day long?

A. Oh yeah.