Orr feels brother’s pain
Neck condition ends NFL career
MADISON - His sophomore season derailed by a torn anterior cruciate ligament in Week 1, Wisconsin linebacker Chris Orr was able to visit his family in DeSoto, Texas, while his teammates were preparing for the 2017 Cotton Bowl.
Orr was beaming to see his father, Terry, and three older brothers: Terrance, who works at DeSoto High School; Zach, who had just finished his third season in the National Football League with the Baltimore Ravens; and Nick, a safety at TCU.
Chris’ mood darkened in a heartbeat when Zach broke the news he would have to quit playing because doctors discovered he had a congenital spinal condition. His C1 vertebra, located at the top of the spine, never fully formed. That left him vulnerable to paralysis or death.
“He just told us and he had a little smirk,” Chris said after practice Thursday morning. “We thought he was playing with us. We said: ‘Stop playing. Whatever.’ “
Zach replied: “I’m dead serious.”
Silence took over the living room.
“It was worse than finding out I tore my ACL,” said Chris, who injured his right knee on UW’s first defensive play against LSU.
Zach, Nick and Chris had vowed that one day they would be in the NFL together.
Zach started his last three seasons (2011-’13) at North Texas and was a first-team, all-Conference USA pick as a senior. He made the Ravens’ roster in 2104 as an undrafted free agent and contributed on special teams for two seasons. He moved into the starting lineup last season and recorded 132 tackles – 91 solo and 41 assists – in 15 games.
Nick has started the last 26 games for TCU. He was a second-team all-Big 12 pick as a junior last season.
Chris started six games and played in 10 overall as a freshman in 2015. His second season ended when he braced to take on a blocker and his right leg buckled.
“We had all talked about being on that level together some day,” said Chris, who has switched to No. 54 to honor Zach. “Zach was setting the pace for us to follow.
“He was on pace to do something great. … It just hurt. I felt helpless. I felt there was nothing I could say to him to make him feel better but I knew I had to be there for him.”
What hit Chris the hardest was that his brother could have died if doctors hadn’t discovered the abnormality.
“He’s been playing football for as long as I can remember,” Chris said. “I’m just thankful he is able to walk away from it instead of being carried off – or even worse.”
Terry Orr, who played tight end in the NFL from 1986-’93 and won two Super Bowl titles with the Washington Redskins, ordered sons Chris and Nick to undergo CT scans to determine whether they had the abnormality.
The two brothers were given a clean bill of health.
“I was anxious,” Chris acknowledged. “(But) there is a less than 1% chance that anybody has it. He was just unlucky to have it.”
Chris can now focus on his comeback from the knee injury.
He is participating in spring ball, though on a limited basis, and estimates he is about six weeks ahead of schedule in his rehab.
“We’re not pushing it,” he said, noting he plans to be cleared to fully participate in summer workouts in June. “In all honesty, I feel that if I got a brace I could do spring. But there is no point in pushing it.
“It’s not even trusting my knee again. It is the emotional part. Just having to watch is the worst part of the rehab.”