Devon Butler, the Northern Illinois football player injured earlier this month in a drive-by shooting, will burn his redshirt year with the Huskies in 2011 to accommodate his rehabilitation timetable. Butler is suffering from a collapsed lung after a bullet struck him in the back while visiting friends at an off-campus apartment, and will have to recover his breathing capacity before he can begin returning the rest of his body to football form:
Devon Butler To Redshirt, Rehab In 2011 Following Shooting
For the next six months, Butler will be concentrating on improving his breathing with a doctor-prescribed machine designed to help expand his injured lung.“Right now it’s not too much rehab,” Butler said. “It’s just more basically getting back on my feet, walking around, getting my strength back; doing things like eating and doing a lot of breathing exercises and stuff like that. In about six months, I will be able to do things like exercise my legs and basically start the physical therapy.”
The Huskies’ starting linebacker spoke to members of the media on campus last Friday for the first time since the shooting. The DeKalb’s Northern Star has made video of the press conference available; watch below:
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