School releases details of injury

~ A scrimmage video caught Southeast freshman receiver T.J. Walls being injured.

Southeast Missouri State University on Friday released to the Southeast Missourian a video and a brief summary of the events surrounding freshman receiver T.J. Walls' injury during practice at Houck Stadium on April 7.

Southeast athletic director Don Kaverman would not field questions, however.

"I'm not going to comment any further on the injury or how it was handled," Kaverman said, citing the privacy of medical information.

He said he had already verified the information that he was permitted to disclose, which included the location of the injury on the student-athlete's body.

The university nor Saint Francis Medical Center is releasing information about Walls' condition, though a report on semosportsweb.com citing an anonymous source indicated his condition had improved to where Walls was able to sit up.

Walls had surgery over the weekend that removed part of his skull to alleviate pressure on the brain due to swelling, sources told the Southeast Missourian earlier this week.

The university's one-paragraph summary said that its Department of Public Safety was notified by telephone at 1:38 p.m. April 7 that a student had been injured at the football field and that the Cape Girardeau Fire Department and Cape County Ambulance Service had been dispatched.

The injury occurred less than 30 minutes into the practice during 6-on-7 passing drills that preceded the 11-on-11 scrimmage.

A passing play

On the play, Walls was one of five receivers running pass routes. The ball was thrown his way but was broken up when a defensive back hit Walls at about shoulder level. Walls tumbled forward onto the side of his head and rolled over before laying flat on his back. The video shows Walls on the ground for about 3 seconds before it moves to the next play, during which Walls can be seen leaving the field along the far sideline with the help of two individuals.

Videos taken during scrimmages customarily capture only the plays. A review of the DVDs of the practice made available by the university showed the 6-on-7 passing drills were videotaped only from the boxes above the 50-yard line. The scrimmage and kicking drills were videotaped both from the 50-yard line and from an elevated camera at the end zone on the east end of Houck Stadium.

According to the university's summary, Walls was in a room at Houck Field House when the DPS officer arrived. The officer was told by head athletic trainer Alfred Castillo that Walls "was hit in a play and upended, injuring his head."

The student was transported by emergency vehicles to Saint Francis Medical Center's Head Trauma Center, according to the report.

"Reports on the treatment of this student are not being released due to privacy concerns," the released stated.

Kaverman said Friday he had seen the video of the play but would not disclose whether he was assembling a timeline of the care given to Walls from the time of his injury until he was taken to the hospital.

The video and information released by the university does not give information about how long Walls was tended to on the field or whether he lost consciousness at any time after leaving the field. While DPS records the call at 1:38 p.m., it is not disclosed whether Walls had left the field or reached the locker room, who made the call or what directly triggered the call to emergency personnel.

The university also released on Friday information about a March 30 disturbance at a fraternity-sponsored event, during which one person was struck during an altercation.

Sources have told the Southeast Missourian that Walls was struck in the head by an object during that disturbance. The extent of his injury and the care he was given is not known.

The incident is part of an ongoing investigation.

An e-mail sent to university athletes this week said Walls has been in intensive care at Saint Francis for the past week, and it noted that a student-led support forum has been scheduled for April 23 for athletes to show their support for T.J.'s recovery.

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View the video by clicking here.