Encouraging signs for Harvard’s Abercrombie
Harvard freshman Ben Abercrombie, who suffered a cervical injury on Saturday during the Crimson’s football game at Rhode Island, underwent successful neck vertebrae surgery Sunday, according to a friend of the family.
Adam Moseley, a baseball coach in Abercrombie’s hometown of Hoover, Ala., tweeted that Marty Abercrombie, Ben’s father, was “very encouraged by the before and after surgery pictures. The spinal cord is intact. This is great news!
“The doctor is now waiting for the neck swelling and pressure and trauma to subside in order that Ben can regain feeling in his arms and legs. The doctor is hopeful that this will happen over the next several days.”
Harvard athletic director Bob Scalise and football coach Tim Murphy sent an email to all student-athletes yesterday, providing counseling services and requesting thoughts and prayers for Abercrombie.
“Our hearts go out to Ben and his family right now, and they have our full support,” the email read. “We are doing all that we can to aid in his recovery, and he has received tremendous care from the doctors at the hospital.”
The cornerback was injured while making a tackle in the second quarter of Harvard’s 17-10 loss. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he underwent surgery.
Devils’ Boyle has cancer
New Jersey Devils forward Brian Boyle has been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, a type of bone-marrow cancer that the team’s doctor said can largely be treated with medication.
The 32-year-old forward was diagnosed with CML after bloodwork at the start of training camp showed irregularities from last season. Boyle said based on what team doctor Michael Farber and others have told him, he expects to live his life under normal conditions.
That includes getting on the ice with his new team after signing a two-year, $5.5 million contract in the offseason. The Hingham native and Boston College product said on a conference call that he feels as close to normal as possible, and Farber expects treatment to begin as soon as some further tests come back.
“We have a good plan of attack here, and I’m looking forward to getting on the ice and playing,” Boyle said. “When that happens I don’t know, but my mindset is Oct. 7.”
The Devils open the regular season at home Oct. 7 against the Colorado Avalanche . . . .
The rebuilding Chicago Bulls hired Doug Collins to serve as senior adviser of basketball operations, providing “an expert resource” for the front office and coaching staff.
Morgan scores two for U.S.
Alex Morgan scored twice and the U.S. women’s national soccer team concluded a two-game series against New Zealand with a 5-0 victory at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati.
The Americans improved to 9-3-0 this year. There are four more games left on the team’s 2017 schedule . . . .
Lionel Messi added to his impressive start to the season by scoring four goals and helping Barcelona rout Eibar 6-1 to extend its perfect record in the Spanish league.
Messi converted a penalty in the first half and scored three more goals in the second to give Barcelona its fifth straight victory in the league . . . .
In Berlin, James Rodriguez starred in his first Bundesliga start for Bayern Munich, scoring one goal and playing a role in the others for a 3-0 win at Schalke . . . .
The Los Angeles Galaxy will be without defender Daniel Steres for up to two months after he suffered a stress fracture in his lower back.