Mel Tucker, MSU players discuss Jaden Mangham's injury vs. Ohio State
In this story:
Near the end of the first quarter of Michigan State's matchup with Ohio State, the game came to a sudden and frightening stop after true freshman safety Jaden Mangham collided violently with Buckeye tailback TreVeyon Henderson on a tackle.
Mangham made the stop, but in the process his helmet collided with Henderson's right shoulder pad and helmet. The freshman laid mostly still on the field, as Michigan State's medical team rushed out to check on him.
Mangham was eventually strapped to a backboard and carted off the field, before being transferred to an ambulance and sent to the hospital. ESPN's broadcast of the game reported that the freshman was being treated for head and neck injuries.
Meanwhile, back at Spartan Stadium, Michigan State had over three quarters of football to finish against the Buckeyes.
Following the game, which ended in a 49-20 victory for Ohio State, head coach Mel Tucker and several players reported that Mangham had been discharged from the hospital and had rejoined his team on the sideline.
Below are the full quotes from Tucker and each player regarding Mangham's injury:
Head Coach Mel Tucker:
“On a positive note, Jaden Mangham – he was in the locker room with us just now with his teammates. Obviously, he went to the hospital, they ran some tests, he was in good shape, so he came back. So, that was a positive.”
Quarterback Payton Thorne:
“Obviously, that’s tough to see one of our teammates go out like that. It was great to see him back on the sideline later in the game. Obviously, that’s a blessing that he’s okay. I don’t know what his official injury is currently, but just to see him back being able to walk around and being able to talk to guys, that’s a great sign. That’s something you never want to see, on your team or the other team. Football is, obviously, a violent game and those are the things you don’t like to see. But, like I said, it was great to see him back later on, and we’ll be keeping him in our prayers moving forward.”
Linebacker Cal Haladay:
“It’s really scary. I think he’s okay for the most part. He ended up coming back out on the field. But it’s really scary. It shows that football is a dangerous game. Anything can happen at any point, so you’ve just got to go lay it out on the line. We play for each other. He’s playing hard, and that stuff happens. It’s part of football. But, we’ve just got to regroup the next man up has to go out and play and do their job.”
Center Nick Samac:
“Just praying that he’s okay, you know? There’s more to football than just the game. You never want to see somebody go down. That’s a horrible thing to see, and you’ve just got to pray and luckily he’s okay. Just praying that he’s okay. Hate to see that stuff. It’s horrible.”
Defensive End Jacoby Windmon:
“It’s a blessing he’s alright. He came back to the sideline at the end of the game and showed everyone that he was doing okay. It was one of those heart-stoppers, because you never know how the situation could have turned out. But, God had his back and that was a great thing to see him come back from that.”
“For the most part, when I see him go down, it was one of those things like – I’ve got another reason to do something, do my job and make plays within my job. It gave me another reason to add to my ‘Why’. Because, just seeing him down on the ground, it was not a good sight to see. It just fueled me. It gave me energy, a reason to go out there and ball even harder.”
