Bausby: I couldn’t move for 30 minutes after hit
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos cornerback De’Vante Bausby, who was taken off the field Sunday on a backboard after colliding with a teammate, said Tuesday he “couldn’t move” for 30 minutes after the hit, but he hopes to return to the field as soon as possible.
“Strengthen my [neck] muscles again and I’ll be good to go,” Bausby said.
Asked if he was nervous or afraid after the collision, Bausby said: “Little bit. … I was never unconscious. I just couldn’t move, but I was still talking and everything. The doc, the neurologist said I was going to be fine and I just trusted that, and after about 30 minutes I was able to wiggle my toes and after a couple hours I was able to regain full mobility, so I was straight, I was fine. … They said I was paralyzed for 30 minutes; after 30 minutes I could wiggle my toes and after two hours I could move everything else.”
Bausby was motionless on the field after he tackled Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler with 14:51 remaining in the second quarter. On the play, as Bausby was making contact with Ekeler, Broncos linebacker Alexander Johnson plowed into Bausby.
The Broncos’ medical staff removed the face mask from Bausby’s helmet, stabilized his neck and strapped him to the backboard. He was taken to the Los Angeles Trauma Center.
There, Bausby underwent several tests, including multiple MRI exams before he was discharged from the hospital and returned to Denver on the Broncos’ chartered flight.
“I was just happy [to return with the team],” Bausby said. “… Los Angeles Trauma Center, I was ready to get up out of there, happy to rejoin my team on the plane ride back here. … I was just calm, and I just trusted what the doc was saying.”
Monday, Broncos coach Vic Fangio said Bausby had a “compression” injury, that there was “no timetable” for Bausby’s return and “he’ll definitely miss some time; don’t know if he’ll miss the rest of the season or not. These things, the first few days, and week, will tell the story.”
For the time being, the Broncos placed Bausby on injured reserve and signed veteran cornerback Coty Sensabaugh in a corresponding move. By rule, Bausby has to miss at least eight weeks and each team can only activate two players from IR, but Bausby is still hoping to play this season.
“Right now, we’re just going to take it real slow, gain my strength back and all that mess,” Bausby said before the decision to place him on IR. “I don’t have a timetable, but hopefully pretty soon. My plan is to come back and play [this season], though.”
The fourth-year cornerback, who has been waived nine times in his NFL career and spent last season in the Alliance of American Football, signed with the Broncos shortly after the AAF shut down. He has battled his way up the depth chart and has made two starts this season, including Sunday’s game against the Chargers.
He has 12 tackles and has knocked down three passes.