Injured Ulumoo Ale Moves Around on Own Power as Practice Spectator
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Media members didn't get to see University of Washington football practice on Wednesday, but they were showed something newsworthy once invited onto the field to do interviews.
Ulumoo Ale, injured on Wednesday, was up and walking around, though just a spectator for the workout, but sufficiently recovered to move on his own power.
The day before, shortly after the Huskies began full contact, the 6-foot-6, 333-pound defensive tackle went down with a lower leg injury that looked real bad, required trainers to gently turn him over, put an air cast on the injured limb and take him away on a cart.
"He'll be back fast, he'll be back soon," linebacker Carson Bruener said. "He's been a stud."
Former UW coach Jimmy Lake always used to say Husky injuries were going to happen no matter what and there was nothing anyone could do about it. They were unavoidable. So brace yourself.
Still, players at the Dempsey Indoor practice facility went completely silent when Ale was left face down on the field in the covered facility, almost as if they were in a state of shock. Players gathered around the big defensive lineman showing utmost concern.
"It was kind of awful because it reminded me of my friend Josh Calvert when he tore his knee," safety Cam Williams said, referring to the former Husky linebacker now at Utah, who had a season-ending fall camp injury in 2019. "It was kind of sad."
Defensive-line coach Inoke Breckterfield was the first to point out Ale's presence on the field to reporters surrounding him near the tunnel, but he said UW trainers would have to provide a medical update.
Elsewhere, the mood amongst the UW players was decidedly more upbeat than the day before.
"It hard to see one of your friends, one of your brothers, down on the ground and knowing the pain he's going through and all the hard work he put himself through in the offseason," Bruener said. "I'm thinking he's fine, walking around, doing great. He should be back real soon."
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