Boston College star linebacker, after battle with cancer, saddled with broken foot
There are times when any sports betting enthusiast – no matter how great the prospect of a given payday due to a player injury on one side of a game – wishes that a betting opportunity actually did NOT emerge. Such is the case with a young student-athlete who won a lot of hearts over the past year.
It appears that Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich’s foot injury is more serious than originally thought. The former ACC Defensive Player of the Year has been sidelined with a broken foot and is still listed as day-to-day, according to numerous news reports. Herzlich suffered the stress fracture in his right foot back in July during routine summer drills.
Herzlich believes he will be ready for the BC’s Sept. 4 opener against Weber State. Whether or not team medical staff agrees will be the real question, and frankly, it’s hard to imagine the stud linebacker being allowed to play a game BC should win going away, even at half-speed or less than its absolute best.
Further time away from the field certainly has to be frustrating for Herzlich, who has spent the last year recovering from Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Herzlich’s battle with a disease that casts such a long and dark shadow over many lives captivated the country, especially the college football community. This wasn’t just any player being forced to wrestle with the “C Monster,” it was a star player with a sterling reputation on a team that was a contender for the ACC Atlantic Division title. Moreover, the notion of a kicker or a wide receiver fighting cancer wouldn’t create quite the same image generated by a big, tough linebacker starting down the much-feared disease. Herzlich defeated cancer, much to the joy of everyone who cares about college football, and when the great news was spread far and wide throughout the United States, pigskin fans were ready to see Herzlich back on a gridiron at the beginning of the 2010 season.
Now, they’re going to have to wait at least one more week, maybe two. However, the 6-foot-4 senior will certainly persist and make sure that when he does return, he will be in legitimately good condition and will not be taking any more of a risk than is absolutely necessary. Weber State is an opponent Herzlich doesn’t have to face; his broken foot will be a daunting-enough adversary. While NCAA football betting experts calculate the extent to which Herzlich’s absence will matter in the Boston College-Weber State game, they other online betting savants will surely be hoping, in their hearts, that a very special and resilient young man will be able to strap on the pads as soon as possible. Everyone is pulling for Mark Herzlich to produce a top-quality season in 2010 and become a legitimate NFL draft prospect who can add value to an NFL roster.
First things first, though. This foot injury has to be managed with patience and care. It’s yet one more hurdle for Herzlich to clear.
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