Agent vows Gates will play again
Nick Gates’ extended stay in the hospital led Giants coach Joe Judge to admit on Thursday that there is a fear his injury could be career-threatening. “I’d be lying from my perspective if I said no,” Judge said before practice.
But Gates’ agent, Jonathan Perzley of Sportstars Inc., vowed that his client will be back on the field despite requiring some follow-up procedures on his broken left leg.
“Nick is going to make a full recovery,” Perzley told the Daily News. “He’s one of the toughest guys in the NFL. He has broken bones. There’s no ligament damage.”
Judge said Gates’ “reconstruction” surgery on his broken left fibula and tibia last Friday morning went “fine.” However, “there are some other things that go with it” that require attention.
The team’s medical staff has advised that it’s not uncommon to require multiple surgeries for this severe of an injury. But with Gates still at Inova Fairfax Hospital (Va.), the Giants obviously are holding their breath for their captain.
“I know he’s getting the best medical care possible, so we’re confident he’s gonna be able to come back,” Judge said. “However my fear for any guy who’s (had this kind of injury) is yes, they could be career ending.
“So from my perspective it’s (let’s) get them back healthy, keep them focused on being a player when they come back, and in the meantime, do everything you can to help them stay involved with the team and also prepare something beyond this.”
Gates, 25, has stayed positive since his gruesome injury in the first quarter of last Thursday night’s loss at Washington. On Sunday, two days after his surgery, he posted a video of himself walking slowly through the hospital hallways with the help of a walker.
“Up and walking already! One step closer to getting back on the field!” he captioned the video.
LEMIEUX NOT RULED OUT
Judge wouldn’t rule out left guard Shane Lemieux for the entire season, though that would seem to be a stretch.
Judge said Lemieux’s Wednesday surgery to repair his left patellar tendon “was a little less invasive than a complete reconstruction, so we’ll see what this turnaround looks like.”
“There’s a chance with this procedure that it may not absolutely be season-ending,” Judge said.
The coach said the Giants didn’t regret letting Lemieux try to play through the injury he had sustained on the second day of training camp.